Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, TX (proposal), Cram & Ferguson Architects

It is always with great pleasure that I comment on the work of a friend and Matthew Alderman, architect with the Boston architectural firm of Cram & Ferguson currently headed by Ethan Anthony, is no exception. I have been following Mr. Alderman's career for some time and am greatly impressed with his ability to synthesize various historical references into a believable contemporary design. The proposals for the Church of the Incarnation, Dallas are no exception and the firm is to be applauded in including Mr. Alderman's insights in their proposed designs. These proposals represent two stages of the design process and it is fascinating to see how each takes advantage of a different set of precedents and possesses its own unique character. For ease of comment, I will use the designations design 1 and design 2. I trust Msrs. Anthony and Alderman, along with the rest of the firm, will take both my praise and my criticism with grace and intelligence.

Design 1

Both proposals owe a great deal to the work of Maginnis & Walsh and Ralph Adams Cram and both are, in their own way, stellar examples of Gothic design in the 20th century mode. I must admit a strong preference for design 1 which makes much of the central tower thereby holding together what might otherwise be a disparate grouping of buildings in the surrounding complex. It also possesses a sense of internal unity with each element appropriately relating to the whole. In particular, the double lights of the north transept and the central buttress help continue the lines of the tower, making the entire building seem to grow organically from a logical center-point under the crossing. In that design 1 corresponds nicely to the Swedenborgian church at Bryn Athyn, I can assert with confidence that it would be a tremendously successful addition to Dallas' architectural landscape.

Design 2

Design 2 is less successful in terms of unity of conception. The nave elevation is very fine indeed and reminiscent of much of Cram's work from the early 1900s, particularly the Cathedral of St. Paul in Detroit of 1907. Similarly, the apse holds together well. Its rhythmic progress of arches over double-lancets is more powerful than the lacy tracery-dominated east end proposed in design 1. However, the Henry Vaughan-esque flatness of the north transept is at odds with the sculptural effect of the nave, and the dwarf western towers as well as the rather fussy central tower ruin the sense of grand scale engendered by its simplicity. I understand from Mr. Alderman that the client was rather insistent on the western towers but I cannot say I believe the effect on the overall design to be a positive one.

Design 2, west facade

Again, to view the two western facade proposals, I cannot commend design 2 over design 1. There is a sense of cohesion between the buttresses and arches of design 1 that is simply not present in design 2 where it seems as though a very great cathedral west front has been shrunk to parish-church scale. The effect makes any attempted grandeur- and I can see that Cram & Ferguson have gone to great lengths to foster that sense by, among other things, designing an elaborate 'Galilee' porch- ineffective by default. There is also an unwelcome flatness in the west wall that battles with the quirkily-stepped central tower.

Design 1, west facade

But, despite this obvious flaw, design 1 is not perfect. Very dramatic are the references to Cram's East Liberty Presbyterian Church but part of East Liberty's character is the odd use of buttress-tracery in the west window which gives the facade a great feeling of strength. The firm have chosen to insert a Perpendicular window thereby providing an immense void where there ought to be greater solid masonry. Perhaps a better solution would have been to use a rose window (as in design 2) but above a polygonal porch. This combination of features- seen at the Cathedral of St John in Spokane, WA. and in Charles Kaluder's unbuilt design for a Congregationalist church in Winnetka, IL. would better support the elaborate central tower as well as alleviating the rectilinearity of the complex's plan.

Congregational Church (proposed)
Winnetka, IL, Charles Klauder

Despite all that I have said in favor of design 1, I cannot argue that the interior as proposed for design 2 is unsuccessful. In fact, the fact is this design is powerfully unified and demonstrates just how skilled Cram & Ferguson can be at conceiving worshipful spaces using a limited number of design motifs. The subtle interplay of arches in the bay elevations- one window in the aisles and two in the clerestory with a triple-arch triforium- is a classic 20th century Gothic motif most elegantly deployed and imaginatively supplemented in the south transept with an elaborate rose window. The squinches as well as the general feel of the interior of the crossing tower recalls Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh (another Cram design) and would surely contribute to an atmosphere of solemnity appropriate to the type of liturgy one imagines ought to take place in a building of this type.

Design 2, interior section

I cannot comment fully on the interior of design 1 but to judge from the bay elevation I imagine it to be a more playful version of the same interior with some added interest at the crossing- perhaps a full-height pier dividing the transepts as the exterior elevation suggests. The east end would likely be more extravagantly articulated as well though my own imagination probably overworks the hints provided in the available drawings.

Design 1, bay elevation

So what can I say at the end of such a critique? First, I would suggest the client revise their preference for western towers in the interest of a more effective central focus, both for building and complex. Second, I humbly call on Msrs. Anthony and Alderman to consider my suggestions regarding the west facade designs. I know they are men stimulated rather than depressed by critique so I offer my comments with such a challenge knowing that they are more than capable of meeting it. Third, I defy anyone to suggest that traditional design is dead. In these images we see an original conception that, while owing a great deal to a number of historic precedents, copies none of them exactly and puts forward the personality of a well-educated designer without sacrificing a sense of organic development. The past can be either a ball-and-chain or it can be a treasure-house. In taking the latter perspective, Cram & Ferguson are bringing joy and the riches of imagination to us all.