The sacred buildings of America churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, meetinghouses are as diverse as the people they serve. In this book, we hear from architects, designers, clergy, and congregations as we explore and reflect on the intersection of faith, design, and community. We visit a variety of houses of worship across the nation, from a Quaker meetinghouse built in 1694 to a Baptist church constructed by slaves and a synagogue completed at the end of the twentieth century. Featured sites include: Gethsemane Cathedral, Fargo, ND; Touro Synagogue, Newport, RI; Chuang Yen, Putnam Co., NY; First Baptist, Savannah, GA; St. Paul s, St. Croix, VI; Chapel, Windsor, FL; Marjorie Powell Allen, MO; Saint Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, Lawrence, KA; San Juan Bautista, Miami, FL; Christ Church, Cranbrook, MI; Central Synagogue, New York, NY; Summer and personal chapels: Newport, RI; Saratoga Springs, NY; Cooperstown, NY; Temple Israel Chapel, Miami, FL; Friends Meeting, Flushing, NY; Congregation B nai Yisrael, Armonk, NY; First Presbyterian, Greenwich, CT; First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, CA; Civic Center Synagogue, New York, NY; St. Andrew s Dune Church, Southampton, NY; Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle, WA; St. Patrick, Oklahoma City, OK.

Author Biography

Dominique Browning has worked with and written for many publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, Wired, House & Garden, Esquire, Texas Monthly, Newsweek, and Mirabella. Browning has written several books, including Around the House and in the Garden: A Memoir of Heartbreak, Healing, and Home Improvement; Paths of Desire: The Passion of a Suburban Gardener; and Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas, and Found Happiness. She is a classically trained pianist and lives in New York and Rhode Island. The Rev. Peter J. Gomes is Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University.