Architectural Ornament frieze - St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 47.754 W 087° 35.700
16T E 450566 N 4627286
Ornate terra cotta entryway depicting Christ on the cross, three angels, and Noah during and after the flood. The entryway contains two doorways and works up to a decorated arch.
Waymark Code: WM99RW
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/19/2010
Views: 3
From Bach & Gray "Chicago's Public Sculpture":
"In the design and decoration of the church, the first Catholic Church to be built in the US in the modern style, architect Barry Byrne and artist Alfonso Iannelli collaborated in a way that Byrne described as a dance in which the lead passed back and forth between them. Much of the exterior shows Iannelli's share, especially the molded organic forms of the terra-cotta roofline, which are highly regarded as an effective meeting of building and sky.
The entrance follows Iannelli's model, but it is more elaborate than he intended. A disagreement developed between Iannelli and the pastor of the church, and an unknown artist completed this feature."
Iannelli, a collaborator with Frank Lloyd Wright, and Byrne, a noted church architect, have numerous credits in the Chicago area, including these waymarks: (
visit link)
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Learn more about the church from their website: (
visit link)
"St. Thomas the Apostle parish has been Hyde Park's Roman Catholic
community since 1869."
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.