Entry No. 38 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: abandoned
Hopewell Baptist 'Teepee' Church
“built by oil-field workers using 1,000 tons of salvaged drill pipe”
Bruce Goff's 1948 "Teepee Church" is a genuine mid-century modernist landmark: a conical 80-foot-tall sanctuary built by oil-field workers using 1,000 tons of salvaged drill pipe and pie-tin chandeliers, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and now a picturesque ruin under slow restoration by the Hopewell Heritage Foundation as a future event center. The structure stands, the grounds are accessible, and it has been featured in TIME magazine and by Atlas Obscura as a worthy road-trip stop.
The move: Drive out to the rural NW Edmond site, walk the exterior perimeter to take in the wild geometric silhouette of pipe and stone rising from the Oklahoma prairie, and photograph the corrugated aluminum cone at golden hour — then pair it with a stop at one of the farm-to-table spots in downtown Edmond for dinner afterward.
📍 Before you go The site sits well north of Edmond proper on a rural stretch of NW 178th Street, so plan on a drive and roadside parking rather than a dedicated lot. The eye catching conical teepee is the original Goff sanctuary, and a plainer, still active congregation building stands right beside it, so treat the grounds as someone working church property and keep to the exterior, since the interior remains fenced off under ongoing restoration. Late afternoon into golden hour lights the corrugated aluminum cone best and makes for the strongest photos. Roll it into a downtown Edmond dinner or coffee stop on the way back.</know_before> </invoke>
- 📍 Edmond
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 5801 NW 178th St., Edmond, OK 73025
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Atlas Obscura · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-07