Plaza Buildings and Architecture

The Christian Science Plaza, in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, is a 14-acre site that houses several buildings of architectural and historical significance. The Plaza also features an expansive reflecting pool and a fountain popular with Boston's children in the summer.

The Original Mother Church and Extension

The Original Mother Church, built in 1894, is at the heart of the Christian Science Plaza and remains today much as it was when first built. The building is Romanesque in style, made of New Hampshire granite. Most of the stained glass windows depict Bible stories. Designed to seat nearly 1,000 people, it was soon outgrown.

The large domed Extension was completed in 1906, and provides seating for approximately 3,000. The building combines Renaissance and Byzantine architectural concepts. The organ, built by the Aeolian-Skinner Company of Boston, is one of the largest in the world: it covers eight divisions and has a total of 13,290 pipes.

The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity

The Mary Baker Eddy Library is housed in an 11-story structure originally built for The Christian Science Publishing Society. Constructed between 1932 and 1934, the neoclassical style building, with its renowned Mapparium, has become an historic landmark in Boston's Back Bay.

The Publishing Society building, created of limestone and granite, was designed by Chester Lindsay Churchill. It originally housed all publishing-related activities of the Church, including massive printing presses and bindery equipment. Engravings on the exterior include the words "Purity and Mercy" (facing Massachusetts Avenue), "Peace and Faith" (facing The Mother Church Extension), and "Hope and Love" (facing Clearway Street), as well as verses from the Bible.

Restoration of the Library's 81,000-square foot portion of the building began in 1998, and the final renovation and additional construction were completed in 2002. Boston's Ann Beha Architects designed the renovation, including a 1,000-square foot entrance addition facing Massachusetts Avenue. Outside the entrance is a new garden, complete with water wall and pond, trees and seating areas.

Expansion of The Christian Science Plaza

The Plaza was expanded in the 1970s with a design by Araldo A. Cossutta, Architect-in-Charge, for I. M. Pei & Partners and Araldo Cossutta, Associated Architects. The original works for the Plaza include: a 28-story Church Administration building; the Sunday School, the shape of which reflects the dome of The Mother Church extension; a 525-foot-long Colonnade building featuring solid sunshade columns; an 80-foot-diameter fountain that sprays water as high as 40 feet into the air; and a 98- by 686-foot reflecting pool, which is almost twice as long and two-thirds as wide as a standard football field.

The Administration Building and the Colonnade contain the world headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist, and the offices of The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy and The Christian Science Publishing Society, which publishes The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Journal, Christian Science Sentinel, The Herald of Christian Science and the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons.