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Views from the Choir Loft

Secular Architecture

Fr. David Friel · March 23, 2014

HILADELPHIA FAMILY COURT has been the focus of a fascinating debate over the value of art. The court has been housed for many decades in a neo-classical palace on Logan Square, built (remarkably) during the years of the Great Depression. It is an edifice replete with murals, frescoes, and canvases, worthy of its position along our city’s very cosmopolitan Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Family Court will soon relocate, however, to a lackluster new box of a building at 15th & Arch, while the old building becomes home to a high-end hotel.

When plans for the move first came into being, the designs for the new courthouse were brought before the Philadelphia Art Commission. The building has been described—by the architect, himself—as “relatively flat” and “kind of vanilla.” The Chief Justice of Pennsylvania added that it will be “very utilitarian.” After being thoroughly underwhelmed by the design, the Commission gave approval only on the condition that significant public art be included in the budget. This was a noble attempt to salvage what could otherwise have become a totally uncultured construction project.

The project changed hands, though, and the government agency that took control declined to include public art in the budget. For a few years, it looked like this project was doomed to be a marked cultural regression. Then, just last week, the Chief Justice made the surprise announcement that he was hiring an art consultant to manage the acquisition of quality art for the lobby and other public spaces of the new courthouse. It is unclear what prompted this change of heart, but it may be partially attributable to the chronicling of Inga Saffrom, Architecture Critic for The Inquirer. (See her articles from: February 12, 2010, July 30, 2010, March 3, 2014, and March 21, 2014.) Whatever the impetus, the change in course has been widely welcomed here in the City of Brotherly Love.

HILE THE NEW BUILDING will be no rival for its grand predecessor, it is nevertheless encouraging that our city has acknowledged (albeit to a limited extent) the value and relevance of public art. Art came close to being a non-consideration in this undertaking, but it has mercifully been spared.

The new Family Court will welcome many vulnerable people through its doors in the coming years. There will be battered spouses, abandoned children, and troubled teenagers standing in its lobby, pacing its corridors, and crying in its restrooms. For the same reason that beautiful sacred architecture is beneficial to the poor man’s soul, beautiful secular architecture has the power to benefit the fragile member of society. Good architecture—whether sacred or secular—protects us, nourishes us, and uplifts us.

HE EFFECT OF ARCHITECTURE on the soul of humanity cannot be ignored, nor should it be minimized. Good architecture is good for the soul, and bad architecture is deleterious. As this case of public record demonstrates, disregard for beauty in architecture is not only an issue within the Church and the wider province of sacred arts, but also in governmental construction. This is a battle that is not going away.

In this round, art seems to have won a half victory. No amount of high quality art could ever transform a utilitarian structure into an aesthetic masterpiece, but the inclusion of works of art can at least mollify some of the clinical feel of a boring or brusque building.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Sacred Architecture Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“Unfortunately, on the one hand a deadly error in judgment placed the official leadership of this committee into the hands of a man who—though generous and brave—was not very knowledgeable: Cardinal Lercaro. He was utterly incapable of resisting the maneuvers of the mealy-mouthed scoundrel that the Neapolitan Vincentian, Bugnini, a man as bereft of culture as he was of basic honesty, soon revealed himself to be.”

— ‘Fr. Louis Bouyer, an important member of the Consilium’

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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