Thorncrown Chapel

Nestled in a wooded setting, the Thorncrown Chapel rises forty-eight feet into the Ozark sky.
Architect architect E. Fay Jones, an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the Chapel near Eureka Springs, Arkansas as a shining example of organic architecture, a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world.

The magnificent wooden structure, which rises 48 feet into the sky, contains 425 windows and over 6,000 square feet of glass. The chapel’s simplicity and majestic beauty make it what critics have called “one of the finest religious spaces of modern times.”

In order to preserve Thorncrown’s natural setting, Fay decided that no structural element could be larger than what two men could carry through the woods. Light, shadows, and reflections play a major role in Thorncrown’s ambience. Because of the chapel’s elaborate trusses and the surrounding trees, constantly changing patterns of light and shadows appear during the day.