The building, designed byCarrère & Hastings, was completed in 1903, is described byNew York Times architectural historianChristopher Gray as "one of the city's most sumptuous churches."[4] The style reminiscent of the churches ofNicholas Hawksmoor, a combination ofEnglish Baroque and FrenchBeaux-Arts detailing. The building featured stained-glass windows byJohn LaFarge. The window over the front door was named "Touch Me Not" and was based on John 20:17, depicting Jesus' encounter with Mary Magdalene outside the tomb.[5]
It featured mosaics, gold-plated chandeliers, marble floors, curved pews made of Circassian walnut, and elevators called "moving rooms" because they were large enough to hold 20 people.[4][5]
In June 2014, after almost ten years in the building, the Crenshaw Christian Center sold the building to 361 Central Park L.L.C. for $26 million. The new owner planned to convert the 47,000-square-foot structure to condominiums.[5] However, the condominium plan was rejected by the zoning appears board.
In January 2018, theChildren's Museum of Manhattan announced that it had acquired the former First Church of Christ, Scientist, building.[11][12] The church building cost $45 million, and the city provided $5.5 million for a renovation of the church.[12]FXCollaborative was hired to renovate the church.[13] The original plan for the church was controversial, as residents opposed the addition of a penthouse on the roof and the removal of windows,[14] but FXCollaborative's proposal was ultimately approved in June 2020.[15][16] The museum publicly presented renderings of the renovated church building in 2020.[17][18] As of 2024[update], the museum was planning to relocate in 2028.[19]
The congregation was organized in 1886 byAugusta Emma Stetson. The congregation gave Stetson the lot adjacent to the Church on West 96th St, where she lived in a neo-Georgian house. Stetson's house was demolished in 1930, replaced by a "mild(ly)Art Deco" apartment building designed byThomas W. Lamb.[4]
The congregation met in rented space before construction of the church.[4]
