Roofless Church
The Roofless Church in New [Harmony, Indiana], is an open air interdenominational church designed by Philip Johnson and dedicated in 1960. The church was commissioned by Jane Blaffer Owen, the wife of a descendant of Robert Owen. It is an open park surrounded by a wall. There is one roof-like structure inside the compound, which is a cover for the statue The descent of the Holy Spirit by Jacques Lipchitz.
Features
The walls of the church are made of brick, and form a 9,800 square ft. rectangle, which is paved with limestone except for areas designated for plants. A gilded and adorned gate is on the east side, with a secondary gate in the west wall. The roof-like structure over Lipchitz's sculpture is a shingled baldachin which, as noted by the New Harmony chronicler Don Blair, resembles an upside-down rose bud. Since the original dedication of the church, further sculptures have been added inside the walls.In 2016, a restoration effort was assembled, and the gate ornaments were re-gilded with gold leaf.