In Boston's Back Bay section is a well-known landmark known by a few names. The public generally refers to the area as the Christian Science Center or Christian Science Plaza. Those who either attend services at the church or interact or work in one of the administration buildings surrounding the church might refer to the area as "The Mother Church." Officially, the church in the middle is known as "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston," since it is the first church assembly organized in the city of Boston.
The church itself is in the center of the plaza. The smaller and darker of the two is called the original edifice. The book, The Mother Church, by Joseph Armstrong, relates how the building was built. The architect was Franklin I. Welch of Malden, Massachusetts. Not too many years before, the entire area was a salt marsh. As part of the city's massive expansion plans, the Back Bay was filled in with approximately 10 ft of fill from surrounding land. Piles were driven in October of 1893 and the first stone was laid on Wednesday, November 8. The building outside and inside was finished just in time for the first services held on December 30, 1894. The church web site states that the architecture is Romanesque style, and the main building material is grey New Hampshire granite. There are many nice details to the outside, including archways, arched windows, and a prominent bell tower (with a full carrilon). Inside, the sanctuary seats approximately 900 people and is surrounded by beautiful stained glass windows and a rank of organ pipes at the focus of the sanctuary.
In a few short years, the 900-seat sanctuary of this edifice was not enough, and work immediately started on an addition to the edifice. The white stone portion, called the 'extension,' was designed by Charles Brigham and Charles Coveney of Boston, and Solon Beman of Chicago. It was completed in 1906, in only 23 months. The architectural design is Italian Renaissance. There are many nice features to this structure, as well, but the main feature is the dome. Inside, the so-called extension's sanctuary is a large open space with side sections and three levels of balconies that seat 3,000 people. At the sanctuary focus are elegant ranks of organ pipes. The organ which is also tied to the pipes in the original, is an Aeolian Skinner, which is one of the world's largest organs in the world.
The next major expansion was the Christian Science Publishing Society Buidling, located to the west of the church building. It was built in 1934 and was designed in the neo-classical style. This building currently is the home of the international newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor. Also, on the west end of the building is the entrance to the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, which is where you can get a chance to see the Mapparium, a beautiful stained-glass globe of the world, inverted.
In the 1970s, the church center went through the next major expansion. This included adding a glass and stone portico to the extension, a building off the Publishing Society Building, a tall Administration Building, the Sunday School Building, a large, rectangular body of water known as the 'Reflecting Pool' plus a circular fountain, a parking garage underneath, and the brick plaza tying together all the elements of the center. The buildings and plaza were designed by I. M. Pei & Partners and Araldo Cossutta, Associated Architects. In particular, the reflecting pool and fountain are often visited by city people. In the summer, the kids of the neighborhood are there playing in the fountain spray. The reflecting pool, however, is not for swimming. Originally, the pool was part of the air conditioning water cooling system.
Today, the building now known as 101 Belvidere Street is being leased to Northeastern University, and the recording studios are being used by Berklee College of Music. The 26-story building now known as 177 Huntington Avenue is being leased for office space. The church has revealed plans to totally reconstruct the plaza. In the plans, the reflecting pool would be reduced and new buildings built and leased out for office space. Stay tuned for updates!
Services are held at 10:00 on Sundays all year round, and 5:00 pm except for July and August. Also, on Wednesday nights, there is a 'Testimony Meeting' at 7:30 pm. On the first Monday in June, the church's Annual Meeting is held in the extension.
The Reading Room is located next to the Publishing Society Building at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Clearway Street.
The church is open for tours on Tuesday - Sunday. Times vary on each day, so consult the church web site for specific hours available.
Source:
Official Christian Science Church Web Site(The Mother Church, in Boston-Plaza Architecture and Grounds):
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visit link)