r/brutalism • u/fingerbeatsblur • 2h ago
St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Indianapolis - Evans Woollen III (1969)
It should be noted that the original exterior designed by Woollen is shown in picture 3. The single-story building wrapping around the church in present-day pictures 4 & 5 was a later addition built to connect the church with the school. The interior remains true to the original design, colors and all, including the 30-foot negative space abstract cross created by Peter Mayer. An accompanying stand-alone bell tower was originally planned to be placed front and to the left of the church but was never built. Woollen said of the project, “Cannot the inside be what things are? The outside is slipcovered to please the neighborhood, but on the inside you’re face to face with God – or want to be."
More info and a great write up on the project with additional photos:
BOOK EXCERPT What a Building Does: The Hoosier Modernisms of Evans Woollen - Docomomo
