Christian Science Mother Church – Boston, Massachusetts

The Christian Science Church that sits on Boston’s Back Bay was originally built in 1894. The original building, Romanesque in design, was made from New Hampshire granite. It is visible at the right-hand side of the photo. This original church was a rather dull gray and fairly modest, attracting little attention. However, a wonderful domed addition in 1906 immediately made the church noticeable. The second building, added because of the movement’s rapid growth, is Renaissance with a Byzantine influence. It increased seating from 1,000 to 3,000. The dome rises to a height of 224 feet. 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.

In the 1960s, the 14-acre (567 are) Christian Science Plaza was created and would serve to surround the Christian Science Mother Church. Designed by architect Araldo A. Cossutta, Architect-in-Charge for I. M. Pei & Partners and Araldo Cossutta Associated Architects, this new addition was completed in the 1970s and included a 28-story administration building, a Sunday School building, a colonnade with solid sunshade columns, a spraying fountain, and an immense 98 x 686-foot (30x 209m) reflecting pool. The ground is paved brick and granite and the stone benches add to the orderly look of the plaza.