1961 Sanctuary, chapel, education building, offices, 1964 Hutton hall, 1976 Memorial Garden, 1988 Learning Center, 1999 Sean's Place, 2006 Music Center, Bookstore, Other Cup
Saint Barnabas on the Desert is an Episcopal church located in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Founded as a mission church in 1953, the church was granted parish status in 1955, and was incorporated in 1958. The church moved into its present structure in 1961.
The parish was founded as a mission church in 1953, with its first service being held on November 15, 1953.[1][2] Initial services were held in various locations on private properties, until moved to a Quonset hut located at 132 W. Main Street in Scottsdale, which was consecrated on October 3, 1954.[3][4] Paul L. West was named as the parish's first rector in 1954, and Saint Barnabas held its first service on March 3, 1954, which was Ash Wednesday.[2] By the end of 1954 the mission church was financially self-sufficient.[5] On January 4, 1955, Mr. & Mrs. Fowler McCormick donated the land on Mockingbird Lane in Paradise Valley where the current structure is located, very close to the property they would later donate to the city of Scottsdale for the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.[2] The ten acre parcel sat across the street from the Judson School.[6]
Pre-construction siteSanctuary under construction
While continuing to conduct services in the Main Street location, the parish began raising funds for a permanent structure to be built on the donated property. Part of the Arizona Missionary Jurisdiction, the church was granted parish status by Bishop Arthur Barksdale Kinsolving II on November 1, 1955 (All Saints Day). On May 2, 1958, the church was officially incorporated in the state of Arizona. Later that year, the Missionary District officially became a Diocese of the Episcopal Church.[2] In September 1959 Henry B. Getz became the rector of the parish.[7] In 1959, the design and construction of the new church building was awarded to T.S. Montgomery.[2] In September 1960 it was announced that the parish had accepted the conceptual drawings for the church complex to be built on their 10-acre parcel. The design included four buildings. A 460-seat main sanctuary, a 60-seat chapel, and offices would occupy the main building; a meeting hall with kitchen facilities would be a second building, with the remaining two buildings named Education Buildings A & B housing classroom and small meeting rooms. The estimated cost of construction was $456,950.[6] Construction on the current sanctuary, along with the chapel, offices and education building B began in 1960, with the official ground breaking occurring on December 4.[8] It was undertaken by the Redden Construction Company of Phoenix. Construction was completed the following year and the first service in the present sanctuary was held on September 11, 1961. On November 12, 1961, all the new buildings were dedicated.[2][9] The sanctuary was "originally designed to have the acoustic properties of larger cathedrals".[10] 1961 also saw the creation of the Church's "Memorial Acceptance and Fine Arts" committee (MAFA). Composed of between seven and nine congregation members with fine arts interests, the committee is responsible for approving all religious items, artwork, and decorations for the church. The first work commissioned and completed was a baptismal font, designed by Paradise Valley artists, Allen Ditson and Lee Porzio.[11][12]
When the church installed its new organ in 1962, the notable American organist, Richard Purvis, flew into Scottsdale to perform the dedication ceremony.[13] The parish hall, now called Hutton Hall, was added to the church's campus in 1964, the fallowing year John H. Parke became rector.[14]
In November 1970, William Purdis Rowland was installed as the parish's new rector.[15] In 1973, in honor of the congregation paying off the original mortgage, a mortgage burning ceremony was held. The church was consecrated, and blessed by several Episcopalian dignitaries, including George R. Selway, Robert Donohoe (the ecumenical director of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona), and the former pastor of St. Barnabas, Henry B. Getz. The consecration took place because a church in the Episcopal faith may not be consecrated until it is debt-free ("all possibility of alienation to secular uses be erased").[14] The sanctuary received new main doors which involved a new art form invented by Ditson and Porzio, called "traforato". The doors are cut forms of steel depicting scenes of children in the Bible, as well as the different stages of childhood. The cut steel is encased in glass. Some of the scenes depicted include David and Goliath and Tobias. Also seen in the artwork include images of musical instruments, natural objects and animals.[16] In addition to the doors, Ditson and Porzio created many other pieces of artwork for the church. Among these include a massive tapestry entitled, "Ode to Joy," designed by Porzio; the main altar and cross, acolyte chairs, candelabra, and various basins and stands.[17] 1976 saw the completion of the parish's memorial garden, located to the north of the main sanctuary; the garden had its first interment in February of that year. The second education building, the learning center, located to the east of the initial education structure and to the north of the memorial garden, was erected in 1988; the last of the three education buildings, named "Sean's Place", was built in 1999, located just to the east of the learning center.
Sanctuary, opening week 1961
In 2006 the parish underwent a building expansion which saw the addition of a music center, a bookstore and lounge, and renovation of the existing parish hall. The music center includes a tower containing a 25-bell carillon,[18][19] designed by Royal Eijsbouts.[20][21] The carillon is the only carillon in the state of Arizona, and only one of approximately 200 in all of the United States. The bells were dedicated in a special concert on October 7, 2006.[22] The set consists of 25 bells, weighing 4,074 pounds, and are played electronically every hour from 9 am to 6 pm, with occasional manual performances as well. The bells were dedicated to John S. Thornton and his wife, Jan. Thornton had served as Rector of the parish from 2002 to 2004.[23]
The sanctuary underwent a $4.5M renovation in 2010. The updates included replacing the 2,768-pipe organ dedicated in February 1962, as well the tapestry, "Ode to Joy," which had been damaged over the year due to exposure to light. The organ was replaced by Casavant Frères, the same company which had crafted the original organ, this time with 2,929 pipes. The organ was donated by John C. and Mary Dell Pritzlaff.[24] Also during the renovation a new sound system was installed, to relieve ongoing acoustical issues.[10] A unique feature was combining the organ's pipes with a mosaic, titled "Wondrous Love", which spans the back wall of the sanctuary, designed by renowned Canadian glass artist, Sarah Hall.[24][25]
Outside organizations are also allowed to use the church's facilities, including Alcoholics Anonymous.[27]
Saint Barnabas' current Rector, Jim Clark, along with clergy colleagues, parishioners, and biblical scholars, has developed a specific type of small group Bible study, called "The Art of Engaging Holy Scripture" (TAEHS). The practice is meant to create "... a lively method of engaging the Scriptures through reading and study, conversational prayer and silent prayer, and group sharing." The practice gives the participants a succinct Biblical and Ecclesiological framework to enhance their prayer life and bible study, both in group sessions and on their own.[28]
Since the construction of the original sanctuary, chapel and education building, the grounds have grown over the decades. Office space was built in between the sanctuary and chapel in 1961 as part of the original plan, and was expanded in 1984, and a state of the art music building was constructed across the courtyard from the sanctuary.[30] The sanctuary's original design contains rhythmic columns and arches, a high ceiling and a raised circular altar.[9] The church's carillon is housed in the building. North of the music building is another structure holding a bookstore and coffee shop. Hutton Hall (constructed 1964) lies still further to the north, which also contains the parish's kitchen. To the north of the sanctuary lie the Memorial Garden, with a Labyrinth just to its east. The most northerly buildings include the original education structure, which has now been joined by two more education/meeting buildings, which also house the parish's library. The rest of the campus contains gardens, walkways, parking lots and a children's playground.[30] Covered walkways connect the various structures. The main sanctuary incorporates indirect lighting sources which "provide a visual depth to the contemplative space."[31]
The campus contains several pieces of art. Until its removal to a climate controlled facility, a tapestry by Lee Porzio and Allen Ditson's, "Ode to Joy," hung behind the altar. Hanging behind its counterpart in the chapel is a 15th-century oil painting by Francesco Zaganelli.[9] Ditson created the main altar, based on the concept of the crown of thorns as the support for a ship, symbolizing the church. However, that design was not accepted by the church's fine arts committee, and so was modified to its current form. The current base is made of triangular pieces of flamed steel, symbolizing mind, heart, and spirit, the three aspects of mind. Man's constant striving to reach ever upward is symbolized by the stand's pyramid shape. Other items designed by either Porzio or Ditson include the main sanctuary cross, candelabras, the door to the chapel, and alms basins.[32][33]
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott, a retired U.S. Army chaplain, the city was incorporated in 1951 with a population of 2,000. At the 2020 census, the population was 241,361, which had grown from 217,385 in 2010. Its slogan is "The West's Most Western Town". Over the past two decades, it has been one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.
Grace Cathedral is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California. On top of Nob Hill, Grace is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of California, led by Bishop Marc Andrus since 2006, while the cathedral's local parish has been led by Dean Malcolm Clemens Young since 2015.
St. Mary's Basilica – officially The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – is a church of the Diocese of Phoenix located at 231 North 3rd Street at the corner of East Monroe Street in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It was previously known as St. Mary's Church. It was built from 1902 to 1914 in a combination of the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, and was dedicated in 1915. It replaced an earlier adobe church built in 1881 when the parish was founded. From 1895 the parish was staffed by the Franciscan Friars, but it is currently staffed and operated by clergy of the Diocese of Phoenix. The current church was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
St. Michael's Church is a historic Episcopal church at 225 West 99th Street and Amsterdam Avenue on Manhattan's Upper West Side in New York City. The parish was founded on the present site in January 1807, at that time in the rural Bloomingdale District. The present limestone Romanesque building, the third on the site, was built in 1890–91 to designs by Robert W. Gibson and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
St. Paul's Parish, K Street is a parish of the Episcopal Church in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. It is known for being one of the earlier Anglo-Catholic churches in the United States.
The following churches or similar establishments are named after Saint Barnabas:
Trinity Parish is an historic Episcopal Church at the corner of King and Saint George streets in downtown St. Augustine, Florida. It is the oldest Protestant church in Florida and has some of the oldest stained glass windows in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida.
All Saints Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church in Appleton, Wisconsin. A parish in the Diocese of Fond du Lac, it is the only Episcopal church in Appleton. The congregation first met circa 1854 and organized in 1856. The current church building was consecrated in 1905.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane, Washington, is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. Three Spokane parishes, All Saints Cathedral, St. Peter's, and St. James, merged on October 20, 1929, to form the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Construction began on the present cathedral four years previous in 1925 and was structurally completed in less than a generation under the supervision of founding architect Harold C. Whitehouse of the Spokane firm of Whitehouse & Price. It is located in the Rockwood neighborhood on Spokane's South Hill.
The Church of St. Barnabas is an Episcopal house of worship in Irvington, New York, United States. It is a stone Gothic Revival structure whose oldest sections date to the mid-19th century, with several expansions undertaken since then. The reputedly haunted church complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Calvary Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The parish was founded in 1855.
Bennie M. Gonzales FAIA was an American architect known for a distinctive style of Southwestern architecture which has since been widely copied. Gonzales designed most of Scottsdale, Arizona's, major municipal buildings including Scottsdale City Hall, the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Civic Center Library. His resume also included hundreds of private homes and residences throughout Arizona.
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, is located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
St. John's Episcopal Church is a parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa. It is located in Keokuk, Iowa, United States. It was listed, together with the parish hall, on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
St. Margaret's Episcopal Church is located in Palm Desert, California, United States, on State Route 74 in the Coachella Valley region. Parishioners come from Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and the Coachella Valley area. The parish is currently located in a modern church building completed in 1989. In 1963 St. Margaret's congregation was approved by the Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles as a mission. The congregation moved became a parish in 1967 with Fr. Brownlee as the first rector. The church facilities are designed as a multi-functional facility with sanctuary, multi-purpose rooms, and administrative offices.
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church is an Episcopal church in the Historic District of the Fisher Park neighborhood of Greensboro, North Carolina.
Thomas Stuart Montgomery (1917-1970) was an American architect working in Washington D.C. and Arizona during the middle 20th century. His offices were located in Old Town Scottsdale and later in downtown Tempe. He is known for designing Saint Barnabas On The Desert Episcopal Church in Paradise Valley.
North Strand Church, is a Church of Ireland church on North Strand and Waterloo Avenue, in Dublin. The original church was established in 1786. It is now part of the United Parish of Drumcondra, North Strand, and Saint Barnabas. St. Columba's National School, which was established in 1787, is on the same grounds and affiliated to the church.
Grace & St. Peter's Church is an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal parish in the city of Baltimore, in the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. The congregation is the product of the 1912 amalgamation of two earlier parishes, St. Peter's Church and Grace Church. Its building, constructed in Brownstone, is an elaborate example of English Gothic Revival architecture dating from 1852. Today, Grace & St. Peter's is distinguished by its Anglo-Catholic liturgy and professional choir. From 1940 to 2020, it was also home to the Wilkes School at Grace & St. Peter's, an Episcopal day school which closed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
DWL Architects + Planners Inc., is an architecture and planning firm headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The firm was founded in 1949 by Frederick Penn Weaver and Richard E. Drover as the firm Weaver & Drover. It later became Drover, Welch & Lindlan Architects and was then shortened to DWL. The firm has designed many noteworthy buildings throughout the state of Arizona.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
