Design and Architecture
Crystal Cathedral’s resurrection; billboards on the Sunset Strip
When Philip Johnson built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove for televangelist Robert Schuller in 1980 it was called "the largest glass building in the world."
When Philip Johnson built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove for televangelist Robert Schuller in 1980 it was called "the largest glass building in the world." Now it’s the new home for Orange County's Catholics, renamed Christ Cathedral, and architects Johnson Fain have dialed down the sunlight with a bold screen of “quatrefoils.”
And, the City of West Hollywood is in the midst of creating digital billboards that are visually appealing without offending residents. We'll hear about how they plan to achieve that, and we'll go back to the late 1960s, when rock ‘n’ roll billboards ruled the Sunset Strip, and hear about a billboard-related mystery that went unsolved for decades.
In this episode
3 storiesPhilip Johnson’s all-glass Crystal Cathedral, born again as Christ Cathedral, lets in less light
Famed televangelist Robert Schuller got his start preaching at a drive-in theatre and went on to build himself an all-glass church in Garden Grove designed by powerful New York architect Philip Johnson.
Read the story9 min'Spectacular' digital billboards coming to the Sunset Strip
Can digital billboards be beautiful? Or are they a blight on the urban landscape?
Read the story12 minHow Paul McCartney’s missing head from Abbey Road billboard made Sunset Strip history
In the fall, Beatles fans will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road, released on September 26, 1969.
Read the story7 min