St. Luke’s United Methodist Church
St. Luke’s is perhaps Oklahoma City’s grandest mid-century modern church and is a masterful piece of art and architecture. Architect Truett Coston began the project by designing the Education Building in 1949. It was constructed the following year and the congregation used that space while Coston began designing the main sanctuary and chapel.
For the sanctuary and chapel, Coston spared no expense and customized every detail, from the exterior Norwegian Blue granite where the name of the church appears in gold leaf to the three interlocking brass circles (called a triquetra) that make up the door handles, to the shellstone walls in the 1,800-seat sanctuary that are reminiscent of the fisherman who were the first apostles, to the 185-foot bell tower with a carillon of 42 bells.
As for the 40-foot-tall stained glass windows that appear on both the north and south sides of the church, artist Robert Harmon captured various Biblical characters in magnificent modern detail. Also, because one of St. Luke’s parishioners was confined to a wheelchair and found it difficult to maneuver around the church, Coston became a real pioneer when he made the building handicapped accessible.
Today, the church is little changed and is as remarkable now as it was when it was completed in 1957. Go here to view a rare St. Luke’s brochure from that time.