| Address | 6657-59 S. Harvard Avenue, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1904-05 |
| Architect | Solon S. Beman |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | July 26, 2006 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 81489 |
| Neighborhood | Englewood |
| Type | Place of worship |
| Landmark ID | L-61 |
Interior spaces protected by this designation
- All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the original 1904-05 building; and the second-floor sanctuary interior.
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“(The Fine Arts Building is individually designated as a Chicago Landmark and is located in the Historic Michigan Boulevard Chicago Landmark District.) Other prominent Chicago buildings by Beman included Grand Central Station at Harrison and Wells (1891; demolished); the nine-story Pullman office building at the southwest corner of Adams and Michigan (1881; demolished); the Pullman Building on the southwest corner of S. Michigan Ave. and E. Adams St.”
“The spread of Christian Science from its New England base to the Midwest occurred soon after Mrs. Eddy's establishment of the Church of Christ, Scientist in 1879. In Chicago the First Church of Christ, Scientist was founded in 1886 at a meeting in the Sherman House, a downtown Chicago hotel.”
“Beman designed Christian Scientist churches throughout the country, including six in Chicago. In addition to Fourth Church, his other Christian Science church buildings in Chicago include the First Church at 4017-23 S. Drexel Boulevard (1897); Second Church at 430-40 W. Wrightwood Ave.”
“Canaan Baptist also is the work of noteworthy Chicago architect Solon S. Beman, most widely known as the designer of Pullman, the nation's first planned industrial town and a designated Chicago Landmark District.”
“Description Today, the building (now known as the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ) stands virtually unchanged from its original appearance. The design of this impressive Classical Revival-style edifice was strongly influenced by architect Solon S. Beman's earlier Christian Science churches and his belief that the Classical Revival style was most suited for the Christian Science faith and its religious practices.”
“Worshiping in rented quarters for several years, the congregation built a permanent home at 4017 S. Drexel Boulevard in 1897. Designed by Beman, the building combined practical auditorium seating and a flattering acoustic environment-both appropriate design decisions given the Christian Science focus on readings—all wrapped within a Classical Revival design based in the Erechtheum, a famous Classical-style Greek temple built atop the Acropolis overlooking Athens.”
“Although noted for his residential designs, the versatile Beman also received commissions for factories, commercial blocks, railroad stations, exposition buildings and churches, including a number of Christian Science church buildings.”
“Photos of the new church were published in the January 1906 issue of Inland Architect and News Record, an architectural journal published in Chicago. Fundraising was completed a year later, and the congregation dedicated their new building on February 17, 1907, free from debt.”
“It is grounded on exquisite artistic subtleties of line and mass where, in the truest sense, where is nothing wanting in proportion. Beman's embrace of the Classical Revival style fit well with general architectural tastes in America during the early 1900s.”
What other designation reports say about this building
“Beman, who designed many of the denomination's earliest buildings, including the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist from 1905 at 6657-59 S. Harvard Avenue (now Canaan Baptist Church of Christ, a designated Chicago Landmark).”
“Fox & Klippel were the contractors for two other Christian Science churches in Chicago, Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 6657 South Harvard Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood, and Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist, built at 4840-50 South Dorchester Avenue in the Kenwood neighborhood.”