Forget power lunches and power suits. Nothing really says power like steel, glass and concrete uniquely fashioned into a building designed to stand for the ages.

Back in the 1940s, the congregation of the Church of the Little Flower set up temporary quarters in a Quonset hut because building materials were in short supply and that was what was available.

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul has been described as a church that prompts one to kneel and say a prayer. It is that and more. It is a place of reverence and authority. It is a place that has an aura of power and a sense that the prayer will be heard and heeded.

Certain churches have a sense of majesty, an overwhelming sense of dignity and a sense of a greater presence - a sense so strong it gives instant peace.

Steeped in tradition, Temple B'rith Sholom's roots go 150 years deep into the community. The congregation's first temple was on Fifth Street, and the present location was built in 1916.

There is a calm, cool comfort about Central Baptist Church, 501 S. Fourth St. The church, with a rich history dating back to 1830, is across from the governor's mansion with a bang-up view of the gardens.

First Christian Church Disciples of Christ, 700 S. Sixth St., has an air of familiarity about it. People drive by and think they've seen it before, somewhere - but they may not be able to quite place it.

City residents build monuments to their government with ornate municipal buildings and courthouses. Some of the old opera houses or theatres have fantastic architectural features. But it is houses of worship that continue to amaze and astonish with the depth of their architectural details.