Editing Unity Temple (section)

==== Roofs ====
Unlike contemporary churches, Unity Temple was designed without a spire,<ref name="Nicholas 1962" /><ref name="Siry p. 77" /> nor did it include typical church features such as a tower or an arched roof.<ref name="Cypret 1975b" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rowley |first=Gordon E. |date=October 10, 1982 |title=Checking out what's Wright in Illinois |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-checking-out/164866859/ |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=The San Francisco Examiner |pages=95 }}</ref> At the time of construction, church spires were increasingly outdated and were vulnerable to lightning strikes.<ref name="Siry p. 77">{{harvnb|Siry|1996|ps=.|page=77 }}</ref> The temple is instead topped by 14,<ref name="Building Design & Construction 2001" /> 16,<ref name="Gauer x647" /> or 17 flat roofs.<ref name="Mendell 2000" /> These are made of [[Cinder block|cinder]] concrete, topped with lightweight cinder-concrete tiles.<ref name="Knecht p. 173" /> Each roof is composed of slabs measuring {{convert|40+2/3|ft}} wide.<ref name="Siry p. 156" /> The auditorium roof's [[eaves]] extend {{Convert|5|ft}} outward from the facade's columns,<ref name="Siry p. 155">{{harvnb|Siry|1996|ps=.|page=155 }}</ref> overhanging the adjacent lawns and paths.<ref name="Levine p. 41" /> The writer Neil Levine wrote that the cantilevered roofs created the impression that the interiors were being directed outward.<ref name="Levine p. 41">{{harvnb|Levine|1996|ps=.|page=41 }}</ref> The edges of each roof are twice as thick as the rest of the roof, creating a low [[parapet]] wall,<ref name="Siry p. 155" /> while the eaves contrast with the facade's thick base.<ref name="Siry p. 156" />