Gospel Lighthouse Church
Dallas, Dallas County
Listed February 9, 2022
Gospel Lighthouse Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the secular history of early 20th century American religious movements and for its architectural distinction. The celebrity evangelist is an American cultural figure that arose out of the Pentecostal Movement. California-based Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) embodied the era's charismatic evangelical zeitgeist, and Gospel Lighthouse Church is an example of her nationwide influence on the business of ministry. Jordan Carl "J.C." Hibbard (1909-1980) established Gospel Lighthouse Church in Dallas' Trinity Heights neighborhood in 1940. The church’s longtime success resulted from his religious persona, radio ministry, and branded denomination inspired by McPherson's model. Hibbard conceptualized the design of Gospel Lighthouse Church’s two worship centers, which were completed in 1941 and 1950. Both buildings are unique expressions of the era's Pentecostal performative liturgy. Anchored by a stone lighthouse with a functioning beacon, the 1941 church adopted the literal symbolism promoted in McPherson’s Lighthouse Movement. The distinctive round church's Modern Classicist style resembles McPherson’s columned Angelus Temple and, when completed, Gospel Lighthouse Church emitted a blue beacon light from its rooftop. The period of significance is 1941 to 1972, representing the construction of the first church and the year Gospel Lighthouse Church relocated to a different property.
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