List of former Christian Science churches, societies and buildings

List of former Christian Science churches, societies, buildings, etc. Some are on the National Register of Historic Places

In spite of its early meteoric rise, it appears likely that the Christian Science Church has suffered a decline in membership over recent decades. Though the Church is prohibited by the Manual of The Mother Church from publishing membership figures, the number of branch churches in the United States has fallen steadily since World War II. A 1992 study of the Christian Research Journal found that church membership had fallen from 269,000 in the 1930s to about 150,000. Some believe membership has fallen further since then, however current estimates for church membership vary widely, from under 100,000 to 400,000.

Dr. Stephen Barrett has reported that since 1971, the number of practitioners and teachers listed in the Christian Science Journal has fallen from about 5,000 to about 1,160 and the number of churches has fallen from about 1,800 to about 1,000.

The purpose of this list is to quantify and identify this decline in Christian Science institutions and those related to Christian Science. While it is impossible to get accurate membership figures, it is possible to determine the decline in institutions through official church publications and other sources.

Dissolved churches and societies

Arkansas

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Little Rock, Arkansas), became the Little Rock Community Church.

California

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Los Angeles, California) is now the Iglesia Adventista Central. For a time in the 1970s it served as the Los Angeles branch of the ill-fated Peoples Temple led by the Rev. Jim Jones.
• Second Church of Christ, Scientist (Long Beach, California), is now the Second Samoan Church.

Colorado

• Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist (Denver, Colorado), is now the Zen Center of Denver.

Florida

• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Fort Pierce, Florida, on January 31 1996, sold its church edifice at 911 Sunrise Boulevard for $110,000 to The Pentecostal Church of God in America, Florida District, Inc., d/b/a Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church of God, by warranty deed recorded in Official Records Book 997, page 2392, St. Lucie County, Florida, public records, as accessed online September 5 2007. The church is no longer in existence.
• First Church of Christ Scientist, Holmes Beach, Florida, voluntary dissolution, April 5 2004
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Jacksonville, Florida) was voluntarily dissolved on August 10 1993 Its edifice at 1116 North Laura Street (now 101 West 1st Street) is now the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Lake Worth, Florida voluntary dissolution,May 7, 2004

Indiana

• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Huntington, Indiana, is now the Dan Quayle Center

Illinois

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Chicago) is now Grant Memorial AME Church.

Iowa

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Anita, Iowa) in now the Anita Public Library.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Fairfield, Iowa) is now St. Gabriel and All Angels Liberal Catholic Church.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Marshalltown, Iowa) was bulldozed in August, 1985.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Mason City, Iowa) is now professional offices.

Minnesota

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Fairmont, Minnesota): its first building is now the Red Rock Center for the Arts.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is now vacant.

New Jersey

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Maplewood, New Jersey) is now the Burgdorff Cultural Center and a realtor office.

Ohio

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Lakewood, Ohio) is now the 15422 LTD Building.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Sandusky, Ohio) is now Emmanuel Temple Church, affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World.
• Third Church of Christ, Scientist (Cleveland, Ohio) was vacant in 1987 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is no longer listed in the Journal.

Oregon

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Forest Grove, Oregon) is no longer an active Christian Science congregation.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Portland, Oregon) is now the Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center (NWNCC).

Texas

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Paris, Texas) is now vacant.

Utah

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Provo, Utah) is now the Provo Community Theater.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Salt Lake City, Utah) is no longer listed in the Christian Science Journal,

Washington

• Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist (Seattle, Washington) is now the Rainier Valley Cultural Center.

Wisconsin

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Neillsville, Wisconsin)

Churches and societies that were merged into another church or society

• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hollywood, Florida, with Christian Science Society (Hollywood, Florida)
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (New York, New York), built in 1904, at One West 96th Street at Central Park West by Augusta Emma Stetson, in retaliation for the construction of Second Church of Christ, Scientist (New York, New York) at 10 West 68th Street at Central Park West, which she had opposed. Eventually Mrs. Stetson was excommunicated from the Christian Science Church. In 2003 First Church, whose building at 96th Street has been called the most sumptuous church in New York City, merged with Second Church. The merged congregation now uses the name First Church, but worships at the former Second Church on 68th Street. The former First Church at 96th Street was for sale. It is the Crenshaw Christian Center, NYC'.

Churches that were downgraded to societies

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Grinnell, Iowa) is now Christian Science Society (Grinnell, Iowa)
• First Church of Christ, Scientist, Hudson, New York, is now Christian Science Society (Hudson, New York}.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Oconto, Wisconsin) on the National Register, is now Christian Science Society, Oconto, Wisconsin.

Churches and societies that sold their buildings but did not dissolve

Arizona

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Phoenix, Arizona). Its former building at 924 North First Street, which is listed on the National Register, is now Roosevelt Community Church. First Church is now located at 830 North Central Avenue.

Florida

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Orlando, Florida), Its former building at 24 North Rosalind Avenue, which is listed on the National Register, is now St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church. First Church is now located at 915 North Ferncreek .

Iowa

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Davenport, Iowa) Its building at 636 Kirkwood is now the Harvest Time Family Worship Center. First Church now meets at 3705 Fairhaven Road.

Massachusetts

• The former Christian Science Church at 805 Main Street, Chatham, Massachusetts, is now the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Chatham. There is a CS Jounal listing for First Church, Harwich-Chatham, located in Harwich Port, Massachusetts.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Newton, Massachusetts) in September, 2004, sold its building at 391 Walnut Street for $1,050,000 to be converted into apartments. First Church now holds services in rented rooms at 300 Walnut Street.

Nevada

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Reno, Nevada) is now the Lear Theater. First Church now meets at 795 West Peckham Lane.

Ohio

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Cleveland, Ohio) is now the headquarters of Nottingham•Spirk Design Associates. First Church is now loacted at 3181 Fairmount Boulevard.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Toledo, Ohio) at 2704 Monroe Street became Universal Community Church. First Church is now located at 4647 West Central Avenue.

Oklahoma

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is now vacant. First church meets at 4700 North Portland.

Pennsylvania

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) at 635 Clyde Street, designed by Solon Spencer Beman was sold to the University of Pittsburgh and is now Pitt's University Child Development Center. First Church now meets at 201 North Dithridge.
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Scranton, Pennsylvania) at 520 Vine Street was sold and is now the Lackawanna County Children's Library. First Church is now Christian Science Society, Scranton, and meets at 335 North Washington Avenue.

Washington

• Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist (Seattle, Washington) sold its 1926 edifice at 2555 8th Avenue, West for $1.6 million in 2007 to the Seattle Church of Christ.

Wisconsin

• Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) sold its historic church building at 3069 North Downer Avenue to the Chinese Christian Church of Milwaukee. It now holds services at 2011 East Capitol Drive in Shorewood, Wisconsin.

Churches in Transition

• Alvin, Texas, First Church at 713 South Lee Street is listed for sale as vacant as of December 7, 2007. The February 2007 Christian Science Journal listed a Christian Science Society at that address.

Independent or secessionist churches

• Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent, located in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1987 won a 10-year court battle to use its present title. It was formerly First Church of Christ, Scientist (Plainfield, New Jersey),

Other related institutions and sites

• Camp Sangamon and its sister camp, Camp Betsey Cox, both located in Pittsford, Vermont, were originally run by Christian Scientists for the children of Christian Scientists. Today there are no religious restrictions.
• Christian Science Benevolent Association on the West Coast, was one of 2 BAs operated by the Mother Church.In 1973, it was turned over to a local group of Christian Scientists who continue to operate it as Arden Wood nursing home.
• Daycroft School in Greenwich, Connecticut, closed in 1991.
• Mary Baker Eddy's last Home, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts less most of its furnishings and artifacts was sold in 2006 to the Longyear Museum operated by a private group of Christian Scientists.
• Mary Baker Eddy Birthplace Monument, Bow, New Hampshire The large granite monument erected on the site was dynamited by order of the CS Board of Directors.
• Pleasant View in Concord, New Hampshire, was Mary Baker Eddy's last home before moving to Chestnut Hill. It was destroyed by the CS Board of Directors and all evidence of it was buried. The Directors later built a charitable retirement home for aged Christian Science practitioners. It and the large estate on which it stood were sold to the State of New Hampshire, which later sold the building to a secular group which operates it as a profit-making retirement home.

Missing churches

Note: Following the custom of early New England Congregational and Baptist churches, Churches of Christ, Scientist, in a city or town are numbered First, Second, Third, etc. Societies are not numbered, however. Since all churches and societies are listed in the monthly Christian Science Journal, it is possible to determine the numbers of most but not all missing churches. For example, if a city has listings for only second and fourth churches, it is obvious that first and third are missing. To be certain that fifth church is missing, though, it would be necessary to make sure that there was in fact a fifth church.

A-B-C

• Berlin, Germany Fourth through Tenth
• Birmingham, England First.
• Chicago, Illinois First, Third through Sixth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth through Fifteenth.
• Cleveland, Ohio Second Church.

D-E-F

• Dallas, Texas First, Second, Fourth and Sixth
• Denver, Colorado Second through Fifth
• El Paso, Texas Second
• Evanston, Illinois, First.

G-H-I

• Houston, Texas Second, Third, Fifth and Sixth.
• Indianapolis, Indiana Second.

J-K-L

• Jacksonville, Florida, Third.
• Kansas City, Missouri First through Third, Fifth, Eighth and Ninth.
• Leeds, West Yorkshire, England Second.
• Liverpool, England First and Second.
• London, England, Fourth through Tenth
• Long Beach, California Second and Third.
• Los Angeles, California First, Fourth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh, Fifteenth through Nineteenth, Twenty-First through Twenty-Seventh, Twenty-Ninth through Thirty-Fifth, Thirty-Seventh, Thirty-Ninth, Fortieth, and Forty-Second churches.

M-N-O

• Manchester, England First and Third.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin First and Second.
• Minneapolis, Minnesota Fourth through Sixth.
• New York, New York: (First & Second, see Mergers above), Fourth, Sixth, and Eleventh.
• Oakland, California Second through Ninth.

P-Q-R

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Third through Fifth.
• Plainfield, New Jersey First, see Independent or secessionist churches above.
• Portland, Oregon First through Fifth, Seventh and Ninth.
• Pretoria, South Africa First.

S-T-U-V

• Sacramento, California Third and Fourth.
• Saint Louis, Missouri, Second through Fifth and Seventh.
• San Antonio, Texas, Second
• San Diego, California Third and Fifth.
• San Francisco, California Third and Sixth through Eighth..
• São Paulo, Brazil, Third
• Seattle, Washington Second, Fourth through Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Eleventh.
• Thunder Bay, Ontario First
• Toronto, Ontario, Second through Fourth
• Tulsa, Oklahoma Second through Fifth.
• Tucson, Arizona Second.
• Vancouver, British Columbia, First and Third

W-X-Y-Z

• Washington, D.C. Second.
• Whittier, California First.
• Worcester, Massachusetts First.
• Worthing, West Sussex, England, First.

Gallery

See also

• First Church of Christ, Scientist (disambiguation)
• Second Church of Christ, Scientist (disambiguation
• Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist (disambiguation

References