In April, 1940, Frank Lloyd Wright, world renowned architect, was commissioned to design a new building for the congregation after the burning of their building on Linwood Boulevard. Wright envisioned the entire property at 46^th and Main Streets being devoted to parking with the church building supported on graceful pillars, similar to the mushroom-shaped supports at the Johnson Wax Company office building in Racine, Wisconsin.

Plans included a 1,000-seat auditorium with accommodations for a Sunday School of more than 700. Also included were a roof garden to be used for entertainment and other church functions, as well as a radical approach in construction of heating and cooling systems.

Wright was considered a genius by some and was known for his complete departure from the ordinary. It was expected that the new church building would be no exception. The idea of air-conditioning for the building was met with much disfavor from Wright exclaiming "I’ve gotten more colds in so-called air-conditioned buildings than any other place." He went on to explain that the building he envisioned would be comfortably cool in the summer and warm in the winter using a floor heating and cooling system.

Wright presented his finished plans to the pertinent departments of the church in June, 1940. Parking for 150 cars was allowed; construction of the building would be of steel and rose-tinted concrete. A green copper dome would sit above the chancel area. Wright claimed the building would be "fireproof, earthquake, and vermin-proof" and upkeep would be virtually nil. Wright also claimed that "it is no mere church building, but a new order dated 10 years ahead of its time."

The first drawing of the Frank Lloyd Wright design concept was published in The Kansas City Star on June 13, 1940. One outstanding feature of the design was the tower of lights which would beam from openings in the roof over the chancel area. (See Steeple of Light). 

A 1,200 seat auditorium, sloping to a platform as in a theater, was an integral part of Wright’s concept. The 46^th Street entrance would be designed without steps, an early recognition of the needs of the handicapped.

On October 30^th, 1940, Mr. Wright sat in a lengthy conference with city officials, struggling to keep his patience as he listened to the Director of Public Works and the Commissioner of Buildings. The city refused to grant a permit for the building on the grounds that it was too radical to meet the provisions of the city’s building code.

At the end of the conference, Wright was accused of planning to put up a circus tent, a mere shell of a building. Wright’s plans were considered "skimpy" and the city officials insisted on "plans that any good engineer could understand." A compromise to redesign the foundation by eliminating the "floating" foundation was accomplished and the way was paved for a permit. Once construction began, the Commissioner of Buildings made daily inspection tours at the site and forced builders to add "tons of steel" to insure safety which significantly increased the cost.

Dedication of the new church building was held on January 4, 1942 with over 1,500 persons looking on. On that morning, the coldest of the year, one of the heating plant boilers failed to function properly, making the church sanctuary so chilly that virtually everyone present wore an overcoat and gloves throughout the services. However, even though this system has long been abandoned, it was discovered later that the pump which circulated hot water through pipes under the floor had been adjusted incorrectly and was pumping in reverse, defeating the boiler’s efforts to send forth heat.

Thanks to many generous donations from members and with generous assistance from Temple B’nai Jehudah, which had been so kind to come to the needs of the congregation after the Linwood property burned, the debt was eliminated and the mortgage was burned in June, 1944.

From Wright Sites - A guide to Frank Lloyd Wright Public Places: The building Mr. Wright planned for the congregation was to be "the church of the future". Financial considerations, war-time shortages of materials and code restrictions greatly compromised Wright’s original design. Although the architect lamented that the building was his only in shape, the structure remains highly original and continues to satisfy the needs of the congregation.

Both the exterior outline and interior space of the building are irregular. Wright developed the design from a basic parallelogram unit called a "hex." The walls are constructed of gunnite, an inexpensive, strong, fireproof and lightweight concrete. The use of this material allowed Wright to reduce the thickness of the walls to 2.75". When joined at wide angles the walls thus have the appearance of folded planes. The original construction contained no square corners among the wall junctures. All stairwells, offices and classrooms are hexagonal.

The sanctuary’s acoustical quality and seating capacity for nearly 900 people (reduced from the original 1,200 seats) make it an attractive space for musical performances.

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Community Christian Church Vision Statement for the 21^st Century:

Worship God ◊ Grow Disciples ◊ Serve the World

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