AR 62, 0.5 mi. W of Eureka Springs, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. County/parish: Carroll.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places April 28, 2000. NRIS 97000452.
2 contributing buildings.Also known as:
Thorncrown Chapel was designed by E. Fay Jones and constructed in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Jones had apprenticed. The chapel was commissioned by Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher who envisioned a non-denominational pilgrimage chapel set apart for meditation. The design was inspired by Sainte-Chapelle, a Gothic church in Paris pierced by numerous stained glass windows. It held some of King Louis IX's medieval Christian relics, including the Crown of Thorns believed to have been worn by Christ. This relic inspired the name of the American chapel.
The chapel's unusual artistry has been recognized. It was selected for the 2006 Twenty-five Year Award by the American Institute of Architects. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2000, three decades before the 50-year cutoff required of most NRHP listings. It was included in Budget Travel's list of "12 Most Beautiful Churches in America" and Bored Panda's list of "50 Most Extraordinary Churches Of The World."
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