Miramar Naval Station Chapel

Miramar Naval Station Chapel

Miramar Naval Station Chapel, which serves all faiths, is located at the U.S. Naval Air Station. The chapel is at the heart of a Z-shaped compound that also includes classrooms and a smaller morning chapel. The building forms a rectangular box, which is animated by an open staircase that symbolizes spiritual ascent. At night, this feature is dramatically illuminated from above, and a reflection of it in the pool below creates a striking visual impression. Meeting the inclined roof of the projecting staircase is an arched enclosure housing the church’s bell. Set at the intersection of the stairs and arch, a huge cross announces the building’s function and also serves a practical purpose as a downspout. Inside, the chapel has soaring roofs, supported by ten concrete, buttress-like frames. A V-shaped, hung ceiling in the nave conceals the source of illumination that spills over its sides. Soft daylight complements this artificial lighting, entering the space through vertical slits, a wall of glass on the western chancel end, and a skylight above the altar. Neutra designed interior features as well, including the curved revolving altar and modeled plywood pews that seat 600 worshipers.

Adapted from Neutra – Complete Works by Barbara Lamprecht (Taschen, 2000), p. 324.