Protestant Church Building, Planning, Financing, Designing

Protestant Church Building: Planning, Financing, & Designing by William H. Leach was published by Abingdon-Cokesbury Press in 1948. This 63-year-old, 188-page, believed-to-be First Edition offering is an ex-library copy in G+ condition. A few of the requisite library markings are observed, there is some modest yellowing of endpapers front and back as well as the pages of text, some light foxing is seen, almost exclusively at the bottoms of not a large number of text's pages, and there is some fairly noticeable shelf wear at top and bottom edges of volume's spine. Finally, over its 63 years in existence the front cover board evidences some spotty light staining, most noticeably along the top edge of same. From 3 1/4" X 4 1/4" summary strip attached/centered on blank page preceding main Title page, "Protestant church building in our time is characterized by two considerations. More church buildings are being planned now than at any time in our history--the figures are almost astronomical. And, what is perhaps even more interesting and significant, a new originality is being displayed by architects and churchmen. Protestant churches are definitely cutting away from the traditional designs and are building for new utility and service. To report these trends is the object of this book. The author is neither an architect nor an engineer. Nor does he undertake to tell what churches should do. Instead, as a minister and editor he tells what churches are doing, and how they are going about it. Included as further aids are a glossary of common architectural terms and of names of various furnishings for the church[from AISLE to VEIL], a bibliography of good books on the different phases of church buildings, and some fifty[50] pictures and drawings which illustrate points in the book." This offering is presented in two parts. Part One, "Planning and Financing", explores such areas as organizing the building committee, approaching the financial campaign, and pledging, paying, and accounting. Part Two, "Building the Church", discusses such aspects as building for worship/Christian education/fellowship/administration, lighting, the church lawn, and the parsonage. Just some of the many individual churches around the country pictured/featured include First Methodist Church, Red Bank, New Jersey, Messiah Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, St. Bartholomew's Church, New York City, Memorial Methodist Church, Corryton, Tennessee, and Trinity Methodist Church, Youngstown, Ohio. I wonder, since I did not read the entire book, whether the author mentions World War Two's having scared the collective hell out of most Americans as the primary reason for the drastic increase in the number of new churches under construction across America, or the sudden rise in the number of babies being born in post-war cities and towns as accounting for the more practical, family-oriented approach to church buildings/grounds, circa the late 1940's! This is one of those offerings, Reader, that cannot help but be very interesting, period piece-type reading, and, in its own way, a real slice of post-WW Two Americana. Thank you!.…