A Collaborative & Innovative Approach to Preserving a Boston Icon
Additional fee, registration required.
How can you preserve a massive, iconic Boston church during a pandemic while still enabling it to welcome and support a new generation of congregants and visitors?
This tour will highlight restoration of The First Church of Christ, Scientist (TFCCS); the Romanesque Revival The Mother Church Original, 1894; and the neoclassical The Mother Church Extension, 1906. TFCCS and Finegold Alexander Architects teams will lead a walking tour of the church, discussing the recently completed envelope repair project, the interior life safety and accessibility upgrades, and the congregant experience improvements of this eight-year, award-winning, phased restoration project.
How can you preserve a massive, iconic Boston church during a pandemic while still enabling it to welcome and support a new generation of congregants and visitors?
This tour will highlight restoration of The First Church of Christ, Scientist (TFCCS); the Romanesque Revival The Mother Church Original, 1894; and the neoclassical The Mother Church Extension, 1906. TFCCS and Finegold Alexander Architects teams will lead a walking tour of the church, discussing the recently completed envelope repair project, the interior life safety and accessibility upgrades, and the congregant experience improvements of this eight-year, award-winning, phased restoration project.
Learning Objectives
- Explore design strategies developed to introduce accessibility in a historic Boston icon to welcome visitors and enhance the congregant experience while honoring the building's original expression.
- Examine the innovative technical approaches, including contemporary engineering and waterproofing methods, taken to remediate systemic leaks and deterioration of the historic masonry and terracotta building envelope.
- Learn how contemporary life safety and electrical systems were integrated into a landmarked structure with minimal impact on historic finishes.
- Consider and assess the project phasing and site logistics requirements for this eight-year project located in a densely populated Boston neighborhood.