A Teepee-Shaped Church Was Designed By A Famous Architect And Left To Decay In One Of Oklahoma's Largest Cities
By Ashley|Published February 01, 2022
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Ashley
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Ashley has lived in Oklahoma for 25 years and is the Oklahoma staff writer for onlyinyourstate.com. When she isn't exploring Oklahoma, she enjoys visiting the beaches of California.
Hopewell Baptist Church in Edmond was designed by famous architect Bruce Goff in the 1950s and built by volunteers from the congregation. It resembles an American Indian teepee and was known as one of Goff’s most transformative works. It was featured in Time Magazine in 1955 as an example of the “forward-thinking organic architecture being imagined on the Plains.” The church was abandoned in the 1980s due to maintenance issues. But don’t be too disappointed…there is still hope for this place. Keep scrolling to learn more.
Hopewell Baptist Church, also known as the Tepee Church, was built in 1950 from natural materials and oil field parts found in the state. The church was on a frugal budget, so the congregation volunteered their time and they paid Goff $1,200 to design and oversee the project.
The tallest point stands at 80 feet tall and is quite impressive, especially when you're standing inside. The church was abandoned in 1989 but still stands today.
These photographs were shot by Abandoned Oklahoma several decades after it was abandoned. It's quite creepy-looking around this place after it's been left to rot away for so many years.
Since closing its doors in 1989, a Foundation was formed to restore the church. You can contact Elliott and Associates Architects of Oklahoma if you're interested in helping restore this historic church.
The good news is this place was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and efforts are still being made to restore it to its glory days. We aren't sure if that will happen but it's nice to know people are trying and making some progress.
