October 2017 | Eyesore

Commentary on architectural blunders in monthly serial.

Behold, the Morningside Church, Blue Eye, Missouri. Run by the not-yet-late and still-great Jim Bakker — remember Jim and Tammy Faye, who ran the PTL Club (Praise the Lord) out of their Heritage USA theme park in South Carolina back in the 1980s? Ole Jim got hisself in a whole mess o’trouble when a cutie named Jessica Hahn accused him of rape in a Florida motel and he paid her off to keep quiet with $279,000 of PTL funds. That was only the beginning of ole Jim’s trip down the Lost Highway. He was convicted in 1989 on 29 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy, all involving shenanigans around the sale of “lifetime memberships” in his racketeering operation that passed for a church.

Well, after serving about eight years in federal prison, ole Jim is back at it, with a downscaled version of his Heritage USA theme park, now in Missouri. He’s been saved and all his sins are forgiven. And he’s still got the God-given gift of gab that brings in greenbacks by the bale from decent folks.

That-there confused pastiche of a suburban house and a shopping mall is the new church. Looks homey as all git-out, don’t she? And built for the ages, I’m sure! Makes me want to get saved, too.

Thanks to Mike Drach for the nomination, who offers the new term PoMoHoJo to describe the architectural style.

Jim and Tammy Faye (deceased) back in the day: