Seattle Metropolitan Intriguing and Historical Churches

Edifices of worship, prayer and moral community have provided their congregation's stability and shelter spanning generations and sometimes even centuries. Ecclesiastical architecture is meant to inspire and provide essential meeting space for institutional activities and shared rituals.

Each of these profiled churches offers a unique narrative and presence within their respective communities. Their accompanying profiles document their origins, histories, and in many instances architectural context. The selection transcends religious denominations, philosophies and chains of leadership. Some have became the site for exceptional events. Whether offbeat or conventional, each has contributed towards a legacy within their communities. They singularly and collectively portray the diversity of religious institutions within the Seattle and Puget Sound Metropolitan region along with those that have since become repurposed.

The churches photographed and profiled include:

St. Peter's Church (Tacoma)

St. Luke's Memorial Episcopal Church (Tacoma)

Trinity Parish Church (Seattle)

Eagle Harbor Congregational Church (Bainbridge Island)

Immaculate Conception Church (Seattle)

Grace Free Lutheran Poulsbo (Currently Gran Kirk Condominiums)

Former First Methodist Church and United Capitol Hill Methodist Church (Seattle)

Former First Church of Christ, Scientist (Seattle) (Currently: The Sanctuary Townhouse)

Saint Patrick Catholic Church (Tacoma)

Saint James Cathedral (Seattle)

First Lutheran Church Poulsbo

Former First Baptist Church (Edmonds)

Seabold United Methodist Church (Bainbridge Island)

Former First United Methodist Church (Seattle) (Currently: The Sanctuary at Lotte Hotel)

First Covenant Church (Seattle)

First Church of Christ Scientist (Tacoma)

African Methodist Episcopal Church (Seattle)

First Baptist Church (Seattle)

Port Madison Lutheran Church (Bainbridge Island)

Former Chevta Bikur Cholim Synagogue (Seattle) (Currently: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute)

Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma)

Temple de Hirsch Sinai (Seattle)

Former Sixth Avenue Baptist Church (Tacoma) (Currently: SOZO Church)

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (Tacoma)

First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma)

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church (Seattle)

Former First Baptist Church (Tacoma) (Currently: Urban Grace Church)

Former Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist (Seattle) (Currently: Seattle Church of Christ)

St. Joseph's Church (Seattle)

First Lutheran Church (Tacoma)

Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral (Seattle)

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (Seattle)

St. Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral (Seattle)

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions.

He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86.

Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com.

Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography.

His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism.

He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.