Christian Science Plaza Architecture

The Original Mother Church

The Original Mother Church is at the heart of the Christian Science Plaza and remains today much as it was when first built. The building was completed in 1894 in just 13 months time. Designed by architect Franklin I. Welch of Malden, Massachusetts, the Church is reminiscent of the Romanesque architectural style. The exterior of the building is New Hampshire granite. The building seats about 900 people.

Inside the sanctuary, frescos stenciled by Italian artisans and finished off freehand decorate the upper part of the walls. Mosaic work around the lower part of the walls, the front platform, and the floor was done in the traditional style with each individual piece of stone set separately. The floor is white Italian marble. The pews, desk, and front of the organ are of red birch from eastern Canada.

Many of the stained glass windows depict Bible stories. The windows were fabricated in Boston and are made with what is referred to as opalescent glass—a colorful translucent glass with a wide variation of shades. The artist used a technique called drapery glass to add depth and texture to scenery and clothing. The skin and hair tones were painted on and fused into the glass.

The organ was rebuilt in 1950 by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company to replace the original organ. It has 2,825 pipes that were relocated behind grillwork in the ceiling when The Mother Church Extension was built. The organ pipes visible in the front of the sanctuary are purely decorative.

The Mother Church Extension

The large, domed Mother Church Extension was designed by Charles Brigham of Boston and completed in 1906 in just 23 months. The outside of the building is Italian Renaissance to match the architecture in Boston at that time. The dome is in the Byzantine style. The inside of the dome is purely decorative, with electric lamps simulating natural light. The exterior of the dome rises to more than twice the height of the interior dome, or 224 feet. Because of the small plot of land, the Church edifice was built upwards instead of outwards so the sanctuary, which seats approximately 3,000 people, is located on the second floor.

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 13,295 pipes. The largest pipe is 32 feet high, and the shortest is only half an inch high. The organ is played from a four-keyboard console located in front of the platform.

The Christian Science Publishing House
210 Massachusetts Avenue

Completed in 1934, this 11-story, neoclassical-style building of limestone and granite was designed by Chester Lindsay Churchill. Originally, this 308,000 square foot building housed the publishing-related activities of the Church. Located in the building were massive printing presses, bindery equipment, and storage and production space.

In 2006, the Church announced that it would relocate its headquarters to this building. The relocation was completed in the spring of 2008. Care was taken with the renovation to be sensitive to new environmental opportunities. The renovations to the Church offices on floors 5-9 earned a LEED Gold certification as defined by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.™

Also located in this building are the offices of the Christian Science Publishing Society, the offices and newsroom of The Christian Science Monitor newspaper, and The Mary Baker Eddy Library.

Originally, the garden on the Massachusetts Avenue side of the building was enclosed by a 14-foot-high wall. During the construction of the Mary Baker Eddy Library on the lower floors of the building in 2001, a “wall-breaking” ceremony was held. Significant portions of the wall were removed to make the Library more accessible and welcoming to the public. The original front gate, however, was retained to maintain the powerful connection between the historic and contemporary aspects of the Library and its physical space.

The Mary Baker Eddy Library
200 Massachusetts Avenue

From 2001-2002, a portion of the Christian Science Publishing House was restored and became home to the Mary Baker Eddy Library. The Library contains thousands of well-catalogued historical photos and records of Mary Baker Eddy’s contacts with important political, literary, and theological figures of her day, including Susan B. Anthony, Theodore Roosevelt, Bronson Alcott, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. There are also journals documenting daily life in New England and news topics of Eddy’s day as well as records of her many achievements, including being one of the only women to found a lasting religious denomination.

Boston’s Ann Beha Architects designed the renovation, including a 1,000-square foot entrance lobby facing Massachusetts Avenue. Outside the entrance is a garden, complete with water wall, pond, trees, and seating areas.

Inside the main floor of the Library is the world-famous Mapparium®, a three-story, stained-glass globe where visitors can stand on a glass bridge and view the world as it was in 1935 from the inside out. Building architect Chester Lindsay Churchill envisioned the “Globe Room” as having “interesting and unusual features, two of the prominent ones being — 1) a glass bridge to serve it practically, and 2) a certain type of map decoration to present artistically both the geographical and historical feature.” Using large stained glass panels imported from Hope Glass Company in England, the Rambusch Company in New York worked with artists from Rand McNally to create the globe. Churchill chose the name “Mapparium” from the Latin terms mappa, “map” and arium, “a place for.” His globe was an immediate success and remains a favorite art installation for the thousands of Boston tourists who visit it each year.

177 Huntington Avenue (former Administration Building)

This 26-story high-rise, with approximately 250,000 square feet of office space, was completed in 1972 and designed by I. M. Pei & Partners and Araldo Cossutta, Associated Architects.

Views span from the Fenway to the Charles River to the South End and Boston Harbor. The building overlooks the reflecting pool from the east and is adjacent to the fountain.

The building is occupied by the Church and by third parties.

101 Belvidere (former Church Colonnade Building)

Completed in 1972, the five-story building was part of the Plaza designed by I. M. Pei & Partners and Araldo Cossutta, Associated Architects. The building contains approximately 154,000 square feet of office space in addition to recording studios and maintenance shop space.

A major portion of this building is currently leased to Northeastern University for some of their administrative offices. Recording studios have been retained by the Church and are currently used by the Church and by Berklee College of Music. The Church also retains use of the maintenance shop facilities in the basement of the building.

The Sunday School Building

The Sunday School Building was completed in 1972 as part of the Plaza designed by I. M. Pei & Partners and Araldo Cossutta, Associated Architects. The building is at the west end of the Reflecting Pool and across the Plaza from the Church.

The lower level of the building contains a conference room, reception area, and storage rooms. A long ramp leads to the main activity area and a balcony. The auditorium and balcony provide seating for approximately 500 people.