1915 – First Church of Christ, Scientist, Toronto

The architect for this building was Solon S. Beman of Chicago, who was the architect of several buildings at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and more than a dozen other Christian Science churches following a similar architectural style to this.

“THE new First Church of Christ, Scientist, located on the north-west corner of Lowther Avenue and St. George Street, Toronto, is rapidly nearing completion. This new edifice is built of pressed brick with artificial stone facings, based on the Greek Doric style of architecture. The building is set well back on the site thus allowing for a beautiful terrace 195 feet in length on Lowther Avenue and 150 feet frontage on St. George Street. The main entrance faces St. George Street, with two side entrances off Lowther Avenue. The erection of this handsome building will add strength and beauty to the already beautiful district of Lowther Avenue and St. George Street. The Sunday-school and the foundations for the main body of the church were completed a year ago, and the church proper is now almost ready for occupation. The Sunday-school in the meantime has been used for church services. It has a seating capacity of approximately 650 persons.

The main entrance on St. George. Street consists of three separate doorways, divided by two immense Doric columns of artificial stone. A flight of wide cement steps, Avith a cement walk of the same width, leads up to this entrance. On each side of the main entrance will be placed black ornamental iron standards for electric lighting,, each standard carrying 400 watts. The Doric columns are good samples of the degree of excellence which the artificial stone manufacturers of Canada have attained in their work. Surmounting these columns is a frieze and an entablature of the same material, with the name of the church in raised letters on the frieze. Behind the columns are three outer doors entering into a vestibule, from which three corresponding doors give access to a large assembly rooiTi called the main foyer.

The level of this main foyer is about 4 ft. above St. George Street. Off-,the main foyer, which runs the full width of the buildings, is a ladies’ retiring room, on the south-east corner ; the directors’ room and clerk’s office, in the north-east corner ; a wide castiron staircase Avith mastic treads, leading to the centre of the auditorium above, from directly in front of the main entrance ; also, cast-iron staircases ascending to the auditorium floor,, from the main foyer in the northeast and south-east quarters. On each side of the central staircase in the main foyer is a gas-log brick fireplace. On the north and south sides of the building are side foyers, giving access to the cloak-room, literature sales room, and, by staircases, to the Sunday school.

It will be noted that this church is designed with the idea that members may first intermingle socially in the large main foyer, which will accommodate about two thousand people. The side foyers lead to the cloak-room, which has sufficient accommodation for one thousand people. The actual service is held in an auditorium above, the floor of the auditorium being about 13 ft. 6 ins. above the level of St. George Street.”
Engineering and Contract Record, December 8 1915

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