First Church of Christ, Scientist

First Church of Christ, Scientist : The Michelin guide review

Bernard Maybeck's masterwork (1910) harmonized a wealth of styles, yet copied none, in a unique, Arts and Crafts structure of surpassing beauty and serenity. The church fuses multiple roof-lines-typical of a Japanese temple-with Spanish tiles and rec-tangular, fluted columns supporting trellises hung with wisteria. In the shape of a Greek cross, the sunken auditorium is naturally lit by side windows and diagonally spanned with arching beams, imparting a feeling of great spaciousness. The milled woodwork in the ceiling beams and the interior furnishings, all of which Maybeck himself designed, show exquisite craftsmanship.