A Miracle in Stone, The History of the Building of the Original Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, 1894

Pinkham, Margaret M. A Miracle in Stone, The History of the Building of the Original Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, 1894. 2 volumes, Santa Barbara: Nebbadoon Press, 2009.

This exhaustive, groundbreaking book details the conception and building of the original edifice of The Mother Church, the most recognizable outward symbol of the Christian Science movement. With 340 illustrations, 20 plates, and 400 document reproductions, including specifications, contracts, telegrams, drawings, payments, and receipts, it is a treasure trove of primary source materials including unpublished letters to and from Mary Baker Eddy, and biographies and candid discussions of all relevant personnel involved.  Paul Eli Ivey notes in the Preface that the book outlines the program, design problems, as well as the construction industries, the trades, contractors and even workers’ disputes, and carefully details the seemingly insurmountable problems that emerged almost daily during the conception and construction. Pinkham studies the remarkable structure and exterior materials, as well as the stylistic details of the building. For those who appreciate Victorian architecture, it also addresses the windows, mosaics, frescoes and wood carving of the auditorium, as well as the domestic setting of the Mother’s Room, all of which contribute to the distinctive atmosphere of The Mother Church. This attention to the particulars of the edifice is of special interest not only to Christian Scientists, but also to architectural historians and scholars of American vernacular architecture.

ISBN-10: 1891331132
ISBN-13 (Hardcover): 978-1891331138

See also annotations:

Christian Science Center Complex Study Report by The Boston Landmarks Commission

“Material Expression and Maternalism in Mary Baker Eddy’s Boston Churches: How Architecture and Gender Compromised Mind” by Jeanne Halgren Kilde

Building of the Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist by Joseph Armstrong and Margaret Williamson

Prayers in Stone: Christian Science Architecture in the United States, 1894 to 1930  by Paul Eli Ivey