The former Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist building, located in the
Queen Anne Hill neighborhood of
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington
Washington most commonly refers to:
* George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States
* Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A ...
at the corner of 8th Avenue W and W Halladay Street, is an historic
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 edifice. Built in 1926, it was designed by noted Seattle architect
Harlan Thomas in the
Neo-Byzantine
Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a Revivalism (architecture), revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine architecture, ...
,
Mission Revival
The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...
and
Spanish Colonial
The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. These ...
styles. It consists of two parts joined together to form an ell: the 2-story main section containing the church auditorium (the term Christian Scientists use instead of
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
) and a one-story wing containing the Sunday School. The main section is square but each corner has been "flattened to form an irregular
octagon
In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...
.
Recent history
Due to declining membership and increased costs of maintaining the property, Seventh Church decided to sell the property in the late 1980s, but had no offers until 2006 when a developer offered to buy the property for redevelopment if the church could obtain a demolition permit from the city. The city did issue the permit in February 2007, but when neighbors appealed, a hearing examiner sent the permit back for further review. The property was then put on the
Washington Trust for Historic Preservation's list of ''Most Endangered Historic Properties'' and the Queen Anne Historical Society spearheaded community efforts to find a buyer willing to preserve the property. The Seattle Church of Christ, a congregation of approximately 270, had looked at the property previously but had felt the then $2 million plus price was out its reach. With the price reduced to $1.6 million and Seventh Church agreeing to take a low down payment and to provide short term financing, Seattle Church of Christ was able to close on the property on August 31, 2007.
Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist is now located at 1261 Madison Street in Seattle. Seattle Church of Christ has made short term improvements to shore up the property and has long range plans to restore it.
Another 100 Years
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See also
*
Gallery
Image:Seattle - 7th Church of Christ Scientist 05A.jpg, Front and right side showing irregular octagon on upper level
Image:Seattle - 7th Church of Christ Scientist 02.jpg, Front doors showing detail
Image:Seattle - 7th Church of Christ Scientist stonework detail 01.jpg, Stonework detail
References
External links
City of Seattle historic site listing
* ttp://www.seattlepi.com/local/329868_church01.html Seattle Post-Intelligencer August 31, 2007 article on sale
Seattle Times September 1, 2007 article on sale
{{coord, 47, 38, 32, N, 122, 22, 05, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-WA
Churches in Seattle
Former Christian Science churches, societies and buildings in Washington (state)
Octagonal churches in the United States
Churches completed in 1926
20th-century Christian Science church buildings
Byzantine Revival architecture in Washington (state)
Spanish Revival architecture in Washington (state)
Mission Revival architecture in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures in Queen Anne, Seattle
1926 establishments in Washington (state)