Spiritual Places - Oneonta Congregational Church & Labyrinth

There were many highlights on last Friday’s run, including two spiritual places - a mid-century church and a labyrinth.

I am inspired by church architecture and keep a “spiritual places” folder of images on my iphone. Into the folder goes photos of the many neighborhood churches I happen upon and also other places that I find spiritual, usually in nature, such as labyrinths. The images in the gallery above were taken at the Oneonta Congregational Church in South Pasadena.

Architect Herbert J. Powell of Marsh, Smith & Powell led the architectural team for the church located at 1515 Garfield Avenue and Oak St. The mid-century church was built in 1959.

From Garfield Avenue in Soutth Pasadena, the exterior walls of brick and concrete are visible. Smooth-barked eucalyptus tree trunks partially block a full view of the concrete chancel wall with its stained glass elements.

Upon entry to the interior, the most distinctive feature is the east chancel wall. The 64 cast-stone quatrefoil elements embedded with stained glass tell the story of Christian heritage. The light along the central post and beam axis impresses as well.

The carved wood panel doors located at the administrative building with the hat-shaped roof (see gallery above) deserve a special mention.. A fellow Instagram follower identified the design as the work of Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman, who as a team made contributions to the aesthetic of California mid-century modern with their ceramics, wood carvings, mosaics, textiles, and enamels in home furnishings and architectural elements.

Arlington Garden Labyrinth

At the tail end of my run, I opted to check on the state of bloom at Arlington Garden and to walk the labyrinth which is partially shaded by a California Pepper Tree. I took the time to read the signage at the labyrinth before taking the circular journey with the reminder that “there is no wrong way to walk the path, you cannot get lost - there is only one way in, and one way out.- there are no tricks to it and no dead ends. A labyrinth is merely a circuitous route to the center (which is sometimes seen as the center of your thoughts, or of the world, or of the universe) and back, and is NOT difficult to navigate.”