Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Episcopal cathedral in the Rockwood neighbourhood, Spokane, United States
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is a Gothic Revival church of cut stone on Spokane's South Hill, with a sandstone exterior quarried near Tacoma, Idaho sandstone inside, and some Indiana limestone. Its Bishop Cross Tower rises 54.9 m and holds a 49-bell carillon; the vaults reach 24.3 m and the facade rose window measures 7 m across.
Construction started in 1925 under architect Harold C. Whitehouse but paused during the economic crisis of the 1930s, with the structure finally completed in 1954 when the tower was added. The drawn-out timeline reflects the financial challenges that affected building projects across the nation during that era.
The carvings and stained glass mix symbols of many faiths. Ole Sunde of Seattle carved stonework, while Arcangelo Cascieri and Adio diBaccari of Boston contributed carvings; the windows are by the Charles J. Connick firm and Willet Hauser Architectural Glass. The 49-bell carillon in Bishop Cross Tower, cast by John Taylor & Sons of England, is played at Sunday services and festivals and is best heard outside on the Cathedral Close.
The cathedral is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Guided tours usually run Fridays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays right after the last morning service, lasting about 45 minutes. Grand Boulevard drops steeply into downtown directly in front of the building.
The entire structure is built from cut stone sourced from Tacoma and Idaho, with no internal wood or steel elements, making it a purely stone construction. This material choice gives the building exceptional durability and a solid, enduring quality.
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