{{short description|Former church In Ohio, United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} thumb|Cathedral Tower in 2024 The '''Cathedral of Tomorrow''' was a Pentecostal church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
==Cathedral Tower== In 1971, Rex Humbard began to build a {{convert|750|ft}}<ref name="ohio">{{cite web|url=http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/history/local-history-cathedral-tower-could-have-been-something-big-1.233316|title=Local history: Cathedral Tower could have been something big|author=Mark J. Price|work=www.ohio.com|accessdate=May 3, 2016}}</ref> rotating tower restaurant, similar to Calgary Tower, at his Cathedral of Tomorrow complex, which was also slated to hold a transmission tower for his planned local TV station, WCOT-TV (Channel 55; the license was later used by CW affiliate WBNX-TV).
Construction started on September 10, but stopped in November when the concrete tower was {{convert|494|ft}} in height.<ref name="ohio"/> Neighbors filed lawsuits and Northampton Township, the community governing the Cathedral complex at that time, said that there were no provisions for water and sewer service for the tower.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haferd |first=Laura |date=January 9, 1991 |title=As tower goes up, finances unravel: Trouble nips at new empire |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-as-tower-goes-u/172761867/ |access-date=May 20, 2025 |work=The Akron Beacon Journal |pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-as-tower-goes-u/172761944/ A4]–[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-as-tower-goes-u/172762090/ A5] |via=Newspapers.com |quote=But with the concrete poured, the project stalled. There were lawsuits filed by neighbors and radio station WSLR. The country music station said the tower would interfere with its signal. The suit was dismissed that December.}}</ref> The actual reason for the end of construction remains unknown.
In 1973, Humbard announced new, smalled plans for a museum, library and prayer center in the tower.<ref name="ohio"/> In 1978, Humbard said, "Someday we'll finish it, and it'll be a landmark."<ref name="ohio"/> In the 1980s, Humbard moved to Florida.
In 1989, the tower was sold at a sheriff's auction held to raise money to pay toward debts owed to the tower's builder. Local grocer Mike Krieger bid $30,000, and won with the only bid.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 9, 1989 |title=Humbard's tower sold for $30,000 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-humbards-tower-sold-fo/172763275/ |access-date=May 20, 2025 |work=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio |page=1C |via=Newspapers.com |quote=Mike Krieger, a local wholesale and retail grocer, said he did not plan to change the concrete structure. The tower is now named Krieger Communications Tower and is currently being leased to several telecommunications companies. In April 1988, a Summit County judge ruled that the (Rex Humbard) foundation should pay the money owed to Pullman Power. The company in turn asked that the tower be sold, so it could collect. |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
The tower later saw use as a cellular phone tower.<ref name="ohio" />
The Cathedral of Tomorrow remained in operation as a local church, with services conducted by local pastors who had increasingly fewer ties with the Humbard family. Attendances dwindled, although Humbard guest-spoke on occasion.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}
In 1994, the Cathedral was sold to minister Ernest Angley, who renamed it '''Grace Cathedral''' after his previous church. The office complex next door contains a museum containing ''The Life Of Christ,'' a diorama by artist Paul Cunningham; and a popular family-style restaurant, the ''Cathedral Buffet''.<ref name="CPD20170419p10">{{Cite news |last=Farkas |first=Karen |date=April 19, 2017 |title=Angley closes his Cathedral Buffet |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-angley-closes-his-cathe/172762772/ |access-date=August 8, 2023 |work=The Plain Dealer |location=Cleveland, Ohio |page=A10 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
About a decade earlier, Angley had purchased the Cathedral of Tomorrow's television studio facilities, which are used to produce his own television programs and house the offices of WBNX-TV, the Cathedral Buffet restaurant, and other leased office space.{{Citation needed|date=July 2023}}
The Cathedral Buffet was sued for violating Fair Labor Standards Act by the United States Department of Labor in 1999 and in 2017. During the latter lawsuit, Angley argued that his employees were actually "volunteers", and that the restaurant's prices were so low that it could not afford to pay them. The court found him guilty in both instances and fined him $37,000 and $388,000 respectively in damages and wages. In April 2017, Angley closed the Cathedral Buffet.<ref name="CPD20170419p10" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Cathedral Buffet closes to public following federal order to pay $388,000 to employees |url=https://www.beaconjournal.com/akron/business/cathedral-buffet-closes-to-public-following-federal-order-to-pay-388-000-to-employees |work=Akron Beacon Journal |archive-date=March 29, 2020 |access-date=March 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329142427/https://www.beaconjournal.com/akron/business/cathedral-buffet-closes-to-public-following-federal-order-to-pay-388-000-to-employees |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2018, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's decision, concluding there was no violation of the because the volunteers had no expectation of compensation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 16, 2018|title=Appeals court overturns ruling against televangelist Ernest Angley over use of unpaid workers at buffet|url=https://apnews.com/article/0660c66525cf4b58b9d6b9d23d1d7aef|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=AP NEWS}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{coord|41.14686|-81.50974|display=title}}
Category:Evangelical churches in Ohio Category:Churches in Summit County, Ohio Category:Churches completed in 1958 Category:Former megachurches Category:Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Category:Former Pentecostal churches