What a pleasant surprise to be introduced to this mid-century modern church in Arvada, where my wife was playing guitar and singing for the Hina Matsuri holiday this weekend!

It’s super rare anymore for me to come across a mid-century modern building (especially a major one) that I have never seen or even heard of before in the Denver area . . . but this weekend, I had one such experience at Simpson United Methodist Church in Arvada.

It’s no accident this building looks like it could have come straight from Japan, as it is home to a historic Japanese American congregation that long pre-dates the 1967 construction of this exceptionally beautiful building.

Comprised of two connected pavilions that are elegantly detailed, the building is human scaled and a great study of the ideas of compression and release that Frank Lloyd Wright often used in his work, with a variety of large and intimate spaces. Rectilinear geometry, stained glass, tongue-and-groove ceilings, interior buttresses, and shoji panels make up much of the interior architecture and ornamentation.

Outside is a tiled “irimoya” style roof (a Japanese style roof that is similar to a Dutch gable) on each of the pavilions, which floats over the walls on a band of stained clerestory windows. Below are gridded concrete wall panels occasionally interrupted by full height gridded glass and highly ornamented doors.

I have not yet been able to identify the architect of this building, though a member of the congregation that I talked to said that the architect came from Japan. Very interested to learn more, as this building is exceptionally beautiful and worthy of historic preservation.

Some photos I took of Simpson Methodist Church . . .