I thought it was even before I reported this story, and I thought so afterward, even if I have no great love for the architecture of the Rev. Schuller's former pulpit:

For one thing, the Crystal Cathedrals price tag was a lot less than it would have cost to build a new cathedral from the ground up. The Diocese of Orangenow the 10th largest in the nation, with 1.2 million Catholic soulswas facing construction costs approaching $200 million on a lot half the size of the Crystal Cathedrals 31-acre campus.And for those who may wince at the assertive modernism of the Crystal Cathedrals glass design, the reality is that any new cathedral would likely have followed a similar style. Just look up the coast to Oaklands glass-and-steel Cathedral of Christ the Light, which was dedicated in 2008.Similarly, lingering concerns over the cost and size of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angelesnicknamed the Taj Mahony after its visionary, retired Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahonyalso played into the decision to make the Crystal Cathedral deal work.This was a no-brainer from a business perspective, said a churchman familiar with the purchase, who also declined to be named as negotiations continue.

The rest is here.

Update: More photos of the Crystal Campus after the jump.

Photos by Grant Gallicho