"The Great Temple Auditorium," illustration for This is That. . ., 1919. Larger.
California has long encouraged those who "think outside the box," no matter what their field of interest, science, engineering, art, and yes, even religion.
In 1923, evangalist Aimee Semple Mc Pherson opened the Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, a massive structure that seated over 5,000 and that became a symbol of Sister Aimee's unique appeal, evident even on opening day.
"Your sister in the King's Glad Service," frontispiece for This is That. . ., 1919. Larger.
As we mount the steps we hear the doors of the Temple flung wide. We hear a murmur of voices like the billows of the sea. And then the crowd surging over the steps and up the aisles, filling the main auditorium, filling the balcony, climbing the balcony, packing each available space. . . .
The meeting is on. How the volume of their singing fills the Temple. We lift our eyes to the great concrete dome, the largest unsupported concrete dome in America, if not the world, we are told. We lift our eyes to the azure blue of heaven flecked with bright clouds as of blessing, and again our eyes are suffused with tears. . . .
Aimee Semple Mc Pherson was the first woman to receive an FCC radio license and she began radio broadcasts from the Angeles Temple soon after its opening.
below to hear radio segment.
