Spires in the Sun Author Talk
February 18 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
This is one of a series of author talks on the Florida Carpenter Gothic Episcopal churches featured in the award-winning book, “Spires in the Sun.” After each event there is a meet and greet and book signing with the author, Mr. Rich.
Spires in the Sun is organized in two parts. Part I includes: a description of a typical Florida church of the “Carpenter Gothic” style; a recounting of the advent and growth of the Episcopal Church in Florida; biographies of Bishops Rutledge, Young and Weed, with a particular emphasis on Bishop Young and his working affiliations with architects Richard Upjohn, Frank Wills, Charles Haight, and Robert Schuyler; an explanation of relevant contemporary influences, such as the Oxford Movement, the Gothic Revival, and ecclesiology; and an examination of the prominent roles of women in campaigns to build the churches. Part II is divided into 39 chapters, each of which profiles a specific surviving 19th–century Carpenter Gothic Episcopal church in Florida. These chapters tell the story of how each church was dreamt of, planned, and built by its original mission members.