A Bit of History
No, not Jerusalem's history, although the photo of the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction taken there at the end of 2020 is fabulous. This is the history of our little church that could.
Tidbit...When the church was built, Hibiscus Blvd. was a dirt road and the mall site across the road was palmettos!
St. Paul's was organized in 1956 and moved into our current house of worship in 1960.
The building was designed by Victor A. Lundy, a renowned architect known for his individual and unique style of building design incorporating materials, light, and space.
The church was built in a circle, with the altar centered under heavy wooden beams that flared upward over the altar, 42 feet high, forming the core of a steeple of glass rays of light illuminating the worshipers below. Visitors came from as far away as Switzerland and New Zealand to observe the structure of the church and study the architectural design. Still today, architectural students will visit St. Paul to examine the structure and study our blueprints.
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Here we have the church as it was originally designed, highlighted by a couple of weddings that members have shared. These are from the early 1970's. Here you can see the original glass outer wall, the altar under the steeple, and the glass entrance doors.
Our Pipe Organ
St. Paul's members were instrumental in bringing to life a used pipe organ purchased from a sister congregation in Tampa, FL
As St. Paul's has grown, the altar was moved to the rear wall affording space to install pews and the steeple of glass has been enclosed. The glass all around the church has been replaced with stone and semi-transparent glass windows.
