byrne and iannelli reunited in kansas city: st. francis xavier catholic church (1949)

byrne and iannelli reunited once again.

exterior images of the fish-shaped st. francis xavier catholic church (1949), located at 1001 e. 52nd st, kansas city, mo.
the church's exterior was designed by barry byrne.

the 18-foot, 21,000 pound bedford limestone sculpture was carved in iannelli's backyard, then transported to kansas city in multiple sections. he billed less than 4,000 dollars for it.

sidenote: we had orlandi statuary make a few recasts from iannelli's original maquette of st. francis xavier.

courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.