Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, built in 1968, is a

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

style

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

church building located in The Loop at 55 East Wacker Drive, (at Wabash Avenue) in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was designed by noted

-based

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Harry Weese Harry Mohr Weese (June 30, 1915 – October 29, 1998) was an Americans, American architect who had an important role in 20th-century modernism and historic preservation. His brother, Ben Weese, was also a renowned architect. Early life and educat ...

, whose most famous work is the

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

but who is remembered best as the architect who "shaped Chicago’s skyline and the way the city thought about everything from the lakefront to its treasure-trove of historical buildings." Built by Sumner Sollitt Construction Company of concrete in a circular design, the building has no windows in the interior amphitheater. Outside light comes through a skylight at the top of the oculus in the center of the conical roof. Pedestrian entrance to the building is via a bridge over a sunken garden, which Weese said "was for the benefit of the ubterraneanSunday School, which didn't have any windows" but is lit through the garden by the light from the street level above. The semicircular auditorium which seats 764 is designed so that no seat is more than 54 feet from the Readers' Platform, which is the focal point of all

church auditoriums. An invisible

sound reinforcement system A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers in Loudspeaker enclosure, enclosures all controlled by a mixing console that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also ...

with 350 hidden microphones allows those in attendance at the Wednesday evening testimonial meetings to give testimonies without having to leave their seats. Off street parking is provided by a subterranean parking garage. A feature of the lower lobby is an acrylic painting on canvas entitled "Millenium Garden: Psalm 23,” completed by Chicago artist Anne Farley Gaines in 2001. In 1996, Seventeenth Church received the 25 Year Award of the Chicago Chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

. In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the

Illinois component (AIA Illinois).

In film and television

The church's exterior was shown in the 2011 film '' Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' and the 2021 film '' Candyman''. The church's interior amphitheater was the set for the Choosing Ceremony scene in the 2014 film '' Divergent''.

References

External links

Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago website

* [https://soundcloud.com/curiouscity/real-estate-and-religion-chicagos-seventeenth-church-of-christ-scientist WBEZ's Curious City "Real Estate and Religion: Chicago's Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist"]
Illinois Great Places

Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist Society of Architectural Historians SAH ARCHIPEDIA entry on the Seventeenth Church of Christ, ScientistThe Varied Lives and Architecture of Chicago's Christian Science Churches
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seventeenth Church Of Christ, Scientist (Chicago, Illinois) Churches in Chicago Christian Science churches in Illinois Churches completed in 1968 20th-century Christian Science church buildings Harry Weese buildings Modernist architecture in Illinois