Sorry for the poor quality picture.
This photo from c. 1880 hangs in the refectory at the Church of the Assumption in Nashville. The photographer was looking south at Capitol Hill, with the church in the foreground. If you’ve ever traveled through Europe or Latin America, you know that in most cities the church was placed in the center and often at the highest point in the city.
Isn’t it interesting that in the United States it is either a government building or a government-backed bank that took the church’s place in town?