First Church of Christ, Scientist (Riverside, California)

First Church of Christ, Scientist
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Riverside Landmark #7
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Location	3606 Lemon St., Riverside, California
Coordinates	33°58′57″N 117°22′14″W / 33.98250°N 117.37056°W / 33.98250; -117.37056Coordinates: 33°58′57″N 117°22′14″W / 33.98250°N 117.37056°W / 33.98250; -117.37056
Built	1901[1]
Architect	Arthur Burnett Benton;[1] F.L. Spaulding
Architectural style	Mission/Spanish Revival
NRHP Reference #	92001250[2]
RIVL #	7
Added to NRHP	September 22, 1992

First Church of Christ, Scientist, built in 1901, is an historic Mission Revival-style Christian Science church located at 3606 Lemon Street in Riverside, California. It has been called: "the church that introduced Christian Science to Southern California."^[3] It was designed by noted Los Angeles architect Arthur Burnett Benton.^[4] On September 22, 1992, First Church of Christ, Scientist, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.^[2] It is still listed in the Christian Science Journal as an active Christian Science church.^[5]

Christian Science was discovered by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866. October 24, 1900, was the occasion of the laying of the cornerstone for First Church of Christ, Scientist, Riverside. Notice of completion of the construction of the building was filed February 10, 1901. The dedication and first regular Sunday service were held on February 24 of that year.

Christian Science had actually been publicly introduced in Riverside some nine years previous, and the Christian Science Journal for October 1891 has listed: “Regular Sunday Services of Scientists.” They met in the home of Emma Stanton Davis, a student of Mrs. Eddy, who had moved to Riverside in 1887 and began healing work. Records in the Archives of the Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts, show that Riverside was the first location in California where a class-taught student lived.

The architectural style of this church is primarily Mission Revival due to the influence of the renowned architect, Arthur Benton. Just one block from the church is Benton’s Mission Inn, which is internationally known. He also designed the Riverside Municipal Auditorium which borders on the south end of the church property.The interior of the church was designed in the craftsman tradition with natural or lightly stained wood, with vertical and horizontal beams exposed. In the 1950s, all wood and ceiling rafters were covered and painted white with a blue decoration. This reflects a more classical tradition which may have been preferred by the congregation. <ref>http://christianscienceinriverside.org/History.php<ref>

References

First Church of Christ, Scientist, Riverside (Christian Science) has been at its current location since 1900. We are a branch church of The Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a lay church in which every member has equal standing with God. With the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, as our only preachers, Christian Scientists turn to prayer and these two books for counsel and healing.

Christian Science was discovered by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866. She was severely injured in a fall, and turned to the Bible as she had been accustomed to doing. All she had pondered in the past came strongly and clearly to her as she read an account of one of Jesus' healings. She was immediately healed. Convinced that God had healed her, she spent the next several years searching the Scriptures to understand the principle behind the healing. She named her discovery Christian Science and explained it in 1875 when she first wrote Science and Health.

We are often asked if Christian Science is Christian and why we use the word Science in our name and description. First, Christian Science is founded on the teachings of Christ Jesus and we use him as our example when healing sickness and sin. Also, it is Science because Christian Science uses a systematic application of rules based on the fixed principle of God's law in which to heal. We consider it the Science of the Christianity that Jesus lived and taught.

History of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Riverside:

Emma Stanton Davis became a loyal follower of Mrs. Eddy's. She began studying how Christian Science heals and witnessed the healing of her sister from a so-called incurable disease. In 1887, Emma embarked on a long trip from her home in Boston to Los Angeles, California. She later made her way to Riverside where she hoped to nurture the interest of Christian Science.

When Emma first set foot on the train station platform in Riverside, it was a country town of only 4,500 inhabitants. Soon Mrs. Davis began holding weekly Sunday church services in her own residence. It has been substantiated by The Mother Church in Boston that these early services in Riverside were the very first introduction of Christian Science in Southern California.

During the next dozen years the interest in Christian Science made significant progress and the rooms used in Mrs. Davis' home were no longer adequate. In 1892, the YMCA hall, located where the rotunda of the Mission Inn now stands, was used for services. Later, those seeking to learn more about Christian Science met at Pythian Hall and at one time, the Odd Fellows Hall.

It was not until June of 1897 that formal steps were taken to form the legal incorporation of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Riverside. While arrangements were being made to build a new church edifice, the members rented the use of the Universalist Church, which still stands on the corner of Mission Inn Avenue (Seventh St.) and Lemon Street.

The original church property cost the membership a total of $1,100.00 and was purchased from the Rev. G. H. Deere, pastor of the Universalist Church. After purchasing the land, the next step was to engage an architect to design and plan the building. Soon the services of Arthur B. Benton, A.I.A. of Los Angeles, was secured. Mr. Benton proved to be a wise and wonderful choice. It has been said that his "Mission Revival" style of architecture used in the design of our church was the first seen in California. People so admired the new style that Frank Miller hired Mr. Benton to design and build the first wing of his new Mission Inn--the Orange Street wing now known as the "Mission Wing.” Mr. Benton also went on to work on several other prominent buildings in Riverside, including the Riverside Municipal Auditorium.

The building permit for the church was issued in the autumn of 1900 and the cornerstone was laid October 24th of that year. The notice of completion was filed on February 10,1901. The first Sunday service and dedication of the 350+ seat church was held on February 24th of that year. (It is generally known that a Christian Science church cannot be dedicated until it is entirely free of debt. The total cost of the church building, including furnishings, totaled $15,000.00.)

On that 24th day of February in 1901, many Christian Scientists from miles around, including San Bernardino, Ontario, Los Angeles and even San Diego, came to share their enthusiasm at the special event. The ladies of the church welcomed guests with exquisite floral and evergreen decorations. Every available spot in the building was decorated with lilies, smilax, palms, or potted plants. When the service commenced, the church was packed and a fair number of guests stood outside, unable to get in. (During most of the 20th century, a Sunday morning and evening service were both held.)

The Riverside Press and the San Bernardino Sun each carried vivid accounts of the occasion including detailed descriptions of the architectural features and interior appointments. One article made mention that "the church is without exception the most beautiful in Riverside."

Some other notes of special interest include: The original interior of the church was designed in the craftsman tradition with natural and lightly stained woods, including the dome.

The space in our church presently occupied by the organ pipes was originally the choir loft. The choir was replaced by a soloist in about 1905.

In 1913, the church purchased a pipe organ from the Murray A. Harris Co. of Los Angeles for $5,000.00. It was one of the last organs manufactured by the company. All of the wooden pipes are made of redwood, including a very rare pipe called a "tibia." This special pipe is considered the "Stradivarius" of organ pipes. Some have thought that both this organ and the organ located in the Music Room of the Mission Inn are "sister" organs. However, the Mission Inn's organ was produced by the W.W. Kimball Company of Chicago in 1903.

It is interesting to note that several members of the Frank Miller family, in the early 1900's, became active Christian Scientists. It is said that in the early years of the Mission Inn, liquor was not served on the premises due to the family's adherents to Christian Science teachings.

During the early years of the church, the children of the Sunday School decided to raise money for the purchase of two stained-glass windows to be displayed on either side of the auditorium platform. These windows were eventually purchased through the pennies, nickels and dimes that were collected by the children. The windows each bear a scroll with the words, “Children’s Offering.” In 1916, some members complained that the light from the windows was distracting, so they were recessed in the walls and plastered over. In the mid-century, these windows were rediscovered and again displayed in the church. Today, they are prominently displayed in our Sunday School.

At a membership meeting in June of 1916, it was noted that the Board of Directors had requested that members hitch their horses on the Sixth Street side of the building and park their cars on the Lemon Street side. This was to minimize the disturbance to the services caused by the stomping and whinnying of the horses.

It is believed that the beautiful stained-glass windows were designed and built by local craftsmen. In the later 1960'S, a gentleman from Los Angeles passed the church and admired the magnificent windows. He identified himself as an authority on art glass and asked if he could inspect the windows from within. Upon examination, he declared them of "rare, old manufacture, and practically impossible to duplicate today at any price." Please note that all of the windows are original except the three "Easter Lily" windows in the west foyer. These three windows were purchased by three anonymous members and installed during the renovation project of 1990. They were designed by Judy Davies of Riverside who used the windows located in our second story loft as inspiration.

In 1923, an old apartment house adjoining the church property on the east was purchased at a cost of $11,845.00. The building was rented for a while and eventually was used as the Sunday School. In 1954-55, the old structure was razed and a new Sunday School building was erected on the site for a cost of about $42,000.00.

Our Reading Room has been located in many different locations. The original location was what is now our church office, adjacent to our church edifice on the west side. Most recently it was located at the corner of Sunnyside and Magnolia. During the summer of 2009, we moved the Reading Room into our Sunday School building, where it is currently located.

During the mld-20th century, several modifications to the church interior took place. The dome was covered and painted white. The open beams were also enclosed which provided a means to install duct work for the evaporative cooling system. Sometime later, the ceiling was retrofitted for earthquake safety by installing two additional columns at the back of the church. To do this, the back pews had to be shortened and redesigned. During this refurbishment, the church interior and pews were painted a stylish mint green. Mr. Richard G. Chase was commissioned to paint a blue-green scroll design on the dome ceiling.

In 1987-91, the congregation again completed a restoration project that consisted of painting both the interior and exterior of the church and Sunday School, refinishing the pews to their natural state. The dome also needed to be repainted and several local painters were contacted regarding the repainting of the scrollwork. None seemed to be interested in working at the height of 45 feet. To the delight of the members, Mr. Richard G. Chase (of then Escondido) was again contacted and he agreed to do the scrollwork painting. Several years later, the stained-glass windows were reglazed and re-leaded.

In the early 1970's, the City of Riverside's Cultural Heritage Board designated the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Riverside, as "Cultural Landmark NO.7."

On March 17,1992, The Office of Historic Preservation in Sacramento officially approved the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Riverside's nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The restoration of this historical church is ever on-going. The congregation of First Church continue to lovingly support the numerous projects associated with its care. We love being stewards of this beautiful building and strive to ensure that it will stand for many more years as a wonderful example of early Riverside.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Riverside is located at: 3606 Lemon Street, Riverside, CA 92501 The Reading Room is located in our Sunday School Annex at: 3468 Sixth Street, Riverside, CA 92501 Phone: 951-684-3959 Hours are 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Monday through Saturday. Please call ahead to make sure someone is available to help you.

Sunday Church Services and Sunday School are held at: 10:00 -11:00 am each Sunday

Wednesday Testimony Meetings are held at 7:30 pm

Our Reading Room is a peaceful sanctuary open to all members of the community who are seeking spiritual growth through prayer and study.

Please visit our website: ChristianSciencelnRiverside.org