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Moanalua Community Church (Pearl Harbor Memorial Chapel)

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Pearl Harbor Memorial Chapel
1958, Clifford F. Young. 20 Bougainville Dr., Moanalua

The church's A-framed form is accentuated by wooden slats radiating down its stained glass facade. This enormous, golden-toned, stained glass window wall rivets attention, especially from the interior. Serving as a memorial to the tragedy of Pearl Harbor and Christian hope for a better future, the window centers on human brotherhood, while incorporating the sacred symbols of other religions; icons represent the various branches of the armed services, while a map depicts Pearl Harbor. This window is the work of John Wallis of Wallis-Wiley Studio in Pasadena, California, who also executed the more traditional front window at St. Andrew's Cathedral (OA44). The two windows are among the largest single-window installations in the United States. Inside, the soaring open-beam ceiling with its laminated Oregon fir beams articulate the A-frame, which is further emphasized by the rear wall's diagonally placed bleached planks. The chancel centers on a white cross mounted on a floor-to-ceiling battered lava-rock panel. Lava rock is also utilized in planters which demarcate the chancel-nave boundary. The nave's glass sliding side doors offer indoor-outdoor interaction, as well as ventilation and muted illumination.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Don J. Hibbard
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Citation

Don J. Hibbard, "Moanalua Community Church (Pearl Harbor Memorial Chapel)", [Honolulu, Hawaii], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/HI-01-OA185.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Hawaii

Buildings of Hawaii, Don J. Hibbard. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2011, 184-184.

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