Posts have been a little slim lately, owing to being on a family vacation. This week I managed to drag a few non-architects to see two renowned chapels by Arkansan E. Fay Jones, one completed in 1980 and one in 1988. The first is, obviously, Thorncrown Chapel, located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas (the second, Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel, will be the subject my next post). It's a building I included in last year's 100 Years, 100 Buildings, but I didn't get the chance to see it in person until just the other day.

[Spread from 100 Years, 100 Buildings]

Finding the chapel is pretty easy, given that the building has its own website and there explains that "Thorncrown Chapel is located a mile and a half west of Eureka Springs on Hwy 62 West. GPS often does not show the correct location of the chapel. For an accurate map click here." With a smartphone, that Google Maps link makes navigation easy, as do the historical-marker signs along 62. I'll admit the winding drive through dense forests is an often breathtaking one ? with glimpses of misty foothills and rivers I wasn't able to catch on camera ? and an important part of experiencing the remote chapel.
[The unassuming yet fairly clear entrance to Thorncrown Chapel | Photo: Google Street View]

Before arriving at the chapel, one comes across two other buildings on the property. First is the Worship Center, which Jones designed later with his partner Maurice Jennings. This building, which looks more like a ...