The design of Thorncrown Chapel was inspired by Sainte-Chapelle, a Gothic church in Paris, France, pierced by numerous stained glass windows.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000,[1] a status not granted to buildings fewer than fifty years old unless exceptionally significant.

"[4] Resident Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher, bought land in 1971 where he intended to commission a non-denominational pilgrimage chapel near Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

During the design process, Jones decided that in order to preserve the site's natural setting, no structural element could be larger than what two men could carry through the woods.

The structure was constructed using organic materials indigenous to northwestern Arkansas, including pressure-treated Southern pine and flagstone for the floor and surrounding wall.