I admit, on the outside St Paul of Tarsus seems to have more in common with a zeppelin hangar than say, Ste Anne-de-Detroit, but I do like how the interior is laid out with the parish halved and seated amphitheatre-style on either side of a centerline that includes the ambo, baptismal font and altar. My local parish church here is like that and everyone can see what is going on, and see the faces of at least half of their fellow parishioners. That beats looking at the back of the head of the person in front you. I think some of the new ecclesiastical architectural innovations are actually bona-fide improvements.

That said, I love the look of the big, traditional cruciform churches like the former [[and sadly abandoned) St. Agnes/Martyrs of Uganda on 12th and Bethune.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allanm/2801649835/

Man, looking on Google maps, it is hard to believe how some of these parishs manage to remain open, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Archdiocese announces another wave of closings/clusterings. It is sad, but like someone earlier in the thread said, the church is the people, and the people have left.