Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral (Gethsemane Episcopal Church)

This is one of North Dakota’s better examples of Postmodernism. Described by the architects as “Prairie Gothic,” the cathedral features a whitewashed board-and-batten exterior consistent with prairie buildings and the heritage of the northern Great Plains. The proportions of the nave and transept are Gothic, and along with the false buttresses on the south facade, they invoke the cathedral of 1899 that this one replaces. The exterior is accented by standing-seam metal roofs on the buttresses and tower. Part of the building’s magic is the interior. Large fir timbers and lightweight trusswork form the sanctuary interior. Long winters in this northern latitude justify substantial daylighting through large windows, which yields a surprisingly warm effect. Stained glass windows give a night-time presence to the church in the surrounding neighborhood.