The Christian Science Mother Church was built in the Romanesque Revival style indicating that it was constructed during the mid 19th century. This period in architecture was dived into two portions. First there were those buildings constructed between 1840-1850 which had a more of a gothic exterior. This style of building did not gain traction with the American populous and by the 1860’s was replaced with a style ushered in by notable architect Henry Hobson Richardson. These new style was named colloquially as “Richardsonian” for the distinctly American influences to classic Romanesque revival. This style used a variety of arches and pillars that are mimicked in the design of the Christian Science Mother Church, therefore indicating that the church was built after 1860.

One of the main ways to identify Richardsonian buildings is through the use of masonry archways. These archways are semicircular and are used for both windows and doors. As seen in the photo there are many archways used for entrances to doors and also used to hold stain glass windows. Oftentimes there are multiple arches stacked against each other. This is known as the archivolt of compound arches and is featured in the buildings windows and doors. The windows’ of the Mother Church are …show more content…
The building is still in use today and provides services every Wednesday and Sunday. The building also has The Mary Baker Eddy library which is home to the Mapparium which is a three-story-tall globe. This is the reason that I have been visiting the building since childhood. The compound also has a reflection pool with fountains that were added during the 1950’s. The Mother Church is an interesting addition to Boston’s ever changing skyline. The city always seems to be a combination of buildings that have been around for a long period of time and those that are just