The auditorium form evolved into what was later known as the "Akron" or "Miller" plan. First used in 1867 by Miller in the First Methodist Church in Akron, Ohio, the Akron plan provided design flexibility, comfort, and good sight lines. The "Akron" plan also allowed Sunday school rooms to be opened to the auditorium so that church members and others could listen to a speaker and a choir or musicians and could receive religious instruction (40). This plan was often associated with a building style termed Richardsonian Romanesque, which became popular after the building of Trinity Church in Boston in 1872. Frequently used in Protestant churches and named after Henry Hobson Richardson, the designer of Trinity Church in Boston and one of the most original and popular American architects of the late nineteenth century, this style was noted for its rounded arches and massive stone masonry.

Cleveland's rough stone Pilgrim Congregational Church (1893) is a good local example of Richardsonian Roman- esque. Designed by S.R. Badgeley, it also uses a modified "Akron" plan. Classrooms surround three sides of the assembly room in the Sunday school; basically square, the room originally was separated from the church by a wall that could be raised. The pulpit is tucked in one corner. As the author of one study of architectural landmarks in Cleveland describes it, "the seating fans out from the pulpit, and the gallery sweeps in a dramatic curve from the corners of the fan. The interior space is unbroken by columns, the roof being an intricate construction of segmental domes and coves rising to a shallow saucer dome" (see Fig. 21) (41).

Other examples of sacred structures in Cleveland inspired by Richardsonian Romanesque include the North Presbyterian Church (1887); the Bolton Avenue Presbyterian Church, now Antioch Baptist Church (1892-1984); and Euclid Avenue Christian Church, now East Mount Zion Baptist Church (1908).

Many Christian Science churches, Jewish synagogues, and Baptist temples in Cleveland also employed the auditorium form. Some have been strongly influenced by the Pantheon, while others have been based on Mills' octagonal churches. Still others had their roots in the earlier ancient Near East. All, however, can be more readily associated with a stronger central focus than movement along a longitudinal axis.

The plan of the old First Church of Christ Scientist, now Lane Metropolitan C.M.E., is most closely related to the Pantheon. Designed by George Hammon in 1900, old First Church has a rotunda form that is seen on both its interior and its exterior. It also contains a classic pedimented portico supported by Ionic columns. However, in this structure the entry form and preaching platform are also superimposed on the exterior form, whereas in the Pantheon the portico and rotunda were the only visible exterior forms (see Fig. 22 and compare with Fig. 14).

In the Second Church of Christ Scientist (now the Church of God and True Holiness), designed by Frederick Strieburger in 1916, the dominant central dome is resting on a square rather than a circular form, while the central space is extended by barrel vaults in each direction. In a similar manner, Temple B'nai Jershusum, now Shiloh Temple, designed by Harry Cone in 2906, includes a domed assembly hall that in some ways resembles the Pantheon but in other ways is quite distinct. This building contains a classical portico and a rotunda form, but like Second Church, it does not extend to the ground. Here a gabled roof projects in each direction, forming a Creek cross. However, because no axis is longer than another, as in the Latin cross, these spaces may still be considered centralized.

The new First Church of Christ Scientist and the Fifth Church of Christ Scientist are more aligned with Mills' octagonal churches. The second Temple Tifereth Israel designed by Charles Greco in 1924 has a similar geometric form; its dome exerts a stronger presence to emphasize the central space. This style, often referred to as Syrian, suggests the first synagogue built after the Exile (see Fig. 23) (42).

All of these sacred landmarks, while centrally focused, nevertheless contained an ark, an altar, or a communion table located near or against one of the side walls. Unfortu- nately, the central high space and the central symbol along one wall represent a visual conflict.

Architect Eero Saarinen solved this problem in the design of the North Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana. In North Church, the communion table is placed in the center, with the steeple rising directly above the table. Light comes from an oculus below the steeple, above the table, and around the periphery of the space. The centralized plan with its use of light causes the environment to be focused yet mystical (see Fig. 24).

Evans Woolen used a similar design for St. Andrew's Abbey Church in Cleveland, Ohio (1986). However, in this structure the peak of the roof is not directly above the altar, which is slightly off-center. The rear side wall is scalloped, which differentiates it from the flat planes that form the other five walls. While the space is centralized, an illusion of procession is created by the central axis, which runs through the Romanesque portico, the exterior entry, the altar, and the scalloped rear walls. But the hexagonal form, central altar, and seating arrangements emphasize centrality. Perhaps more than any other sacred landmark in the area, St. Andrew's successfully alludes to the tradition of procession while encouraging participation among its worshipper (see Fig. 25).

Thus, although the ideal setting for worship continues to evolve, the styles of sacred buildings still spring from variations of two basic forms. The particular configuration of each structure reflects the continual interplay between tradition and innovation, and the need of every congregation to find the shape that best allows it to believe it is in touch with deity.