Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist (Chicago)
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| Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist | |
| Building information | |
|---|---|
| Town | Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Architect | Harry Weese |
| Client | Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist |
| Completion date | 1968 |
| Style | Modern |
Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, built in 1968, is an award-winning Modern style Christian Science church building located in The Loop at 55 E Wacker Drive, (at Wabash Avenue) in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It was designed by noted Chicago-based architect Harry Weese, whose most famous work is the Washington Metro but who is remembered best as the architect who "shaped Chicago’s skyline and the way the city thought about everything from the lakefront to its treasure-trove of historical buildings." [1]
Built of concrete in a circular design, the building has no windows. Outside light come through a skylight at the top of the oculus in the center of the conical roof. Pedestrian entrance to the building is via a bridge over a sunken garden, which Weese said "was for the benefit of the [subterranean] Sunday School, which didn't have any windows."[2] The semicircular auditorium which seats 764 is designed so that no seat is more than 54 feet from the Readers' Platform, which is the focal point of all Christian Science church auditoriums. An invisible sound reinforcement system with 350 hidden microphones allows those in attendance at the Wednesday evening testimonial meetings to give testimonies without having to leave their seats. Off street parking is provided by a subterranean parking garage. A feature of the lower lobby is an acrylic painting on canvas entitled "Millenium Garden: Psalm 23,” by Chicago artist Anne Farley Gaines. In 1996 Seventeenth Church received the 25 Year Award of the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.[3][4][5][6][7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Harry Weese, Visionary Architect Known as 'Chicago's Conscience'", Chicago Tribune, 1998, November 1.
- ^ Art Institute of Chicago interview with Harry Mohr Weese (1915-1998) March 4 through March 24, 1988
- ^ 1996 AIA Chicago 25 Year Award
- ^ Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago website
- ^ Art Institute of Chicago interview with Harry Mohr Weese (1915-1998) March 4 through March 24, 1988
- ^ Audio Engineering Society synopsis of paper on hidden sound reinforcement system
- ^ Anne Farley Gaines, Pilsen Screens, public commissions, 2001, “Millenium Garden: Psalm 23,” 60”x96” acrylic painting on canvas for lower lobby of Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago
