Palace Of The Golden Orbs

Tien Tao Temple, or Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, Ashford Point, Houston

One highlight of David Beebe and John Nova Lomax's Richmond Ave. walking bout mentioned hither last week was Lomax's description of this foreign vision on the #25 passenger vehicle route to Mission Bend:

Towards the end of the line, the bus turned left off Richmond and into a weird suburban residential neighborhood. Ashford Bespeak, the street we were on, was bisected past a greenspace in which there was a sunken trail, which ducked under the streets in piffling tunnels.

And then there was… this affair, this sprawling empty complex, this v-story square edifice topped past a xl-foot gilt geodesic dome, flanked past two smaller domes. Two exterior staircases flanked these orbs – the overall effect was something like a sawed-off Mayan temple of the sun.

The whole chemical compound was ringed by an fe fence, and and so in that location was another huge fence around the entry to the edifice. The vast parking lot was empty, and in that location were no signs nor plainly even a mailbox. It was completely surreal. Neither Beebe nor I had a clue what it was – Beebe idea it might be the private residence of a very weird Arab sheik. I thought at first that it might be a mosque, just it didn't expect much like ane closer up.

Later on the bound: What was it?

***

Equally Lomax discovers the next day, after harnessing the ability of The Google, the building is the Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, built by members of the Wu-Wei Tien Tao Association, a Chinese universalist religious organization. A Houston Press commodity past Steve McVicker from September 1996 — roofing an earlier human action-restriction dispute between the Tien Taoists and residents of the Kingsbridge Park neighborhood — gives some background on the sect and includes this detail on the temple structure, soon before it was congenital:

Within two or three months, construction on the showtime phase of a new Tien Tao temple is scheduled to be completed on Ashford Point, non far from Master Cheung's dwelling house. The striking v-story structure will exist stark white in colour and volition provide twoscore,000 square feet of flooring infinite . . . The new temple, which will comport an eventual price tag of more than $6 million, will include a three-story, copper-colored geodesic dome that will serve as "the palace of the God." The dome, and two smaller ones, will somewhen be hoisted atop the construction, ensuring that the temple volition stand out like the Taj Mahal amid the flat complexes and strip centers in the area. The structure is the first of its kind for Tien Tao, whose followers hope to have the showtime flooring operational for services earlier the summer.

Apparently, more buildings were intended. This drawing, found on the website of Houston architect Duane Bradshaw, shows 1 image from the master program of an 11 acre site — featuring daycare, retail, and residential facilities for the religious arrangement:

Master Plan for Tien Tao Temple by Duane Bradshaw

In 1999, the sect's new leader, Kwai Fun Wong, made the mistake of traveling to her native Hong Kong to arrange the funeral of her predecessor. Wong had applied for permanent residency in the U.South. several years earlier, just had non yet secured permission for her trip from the INS (though her lawyer had practical for it). Upon her return, Kwai Fun Wong was deported, leaving the sect without a local leader. Wong'southward legal appeals were denied.

Lomax writes:

The edifice now pretty much defines white elephant, just I guess you could say information technology is one of the most unknown of Houston's odd places.

Sole of Houston: Richmond Artery, Houston's Street of Dreamz [Houstoned]
Finish Times [Houston Printing]
Kwai Fun Wong v. U.s.a., 373 F.3d 952 [Public.Resource.org]
A Walk Downwards Cheezy Street: Richmond Avenue, Past Its Prime [Swamplot]

Photo: TexAgs Forum user Old Chief; Cartoon of Tien Tao Temple Master Plan: Duane Bradshaw Architects