Christian Science Plaza, Pedestrian zone in Back Bay, Boston, United States

Christian Science Plaza is a large pedestrian space in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, laid out around the headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist. The grounds include a long reflecting pool, wide walkways, a children's fountain, and six buildings ranging from a late 19th-century church to mid-20th-century additions.

The original church on the site was built in the 1890s, when the Christian Science movement was still young and growing fast. In the 1970s, the complex was expanded with a set of new buildings designed by I. M. Pei, which introduced the open plaza layout still seen today.

The plaza sits alongside the Mother Church of the Church of Christ, Scientist, and free tours of the building start from the Welcome Hall inside. A Reading Room on the grounds is open to anyone who wants to browse literature or ask questions about Christian Science.

The plaza is open to the public at all times and easy to reach on foot or by subway, as it sits at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Huntington Avenue. Walking around the full perimeter gives a good sense of how the different buildings relate to each other and to the central pool.

Inside the Christian Science Publishing House, which borders the plaza, there is the Mapparium, a walk-in globe made of stained glass that shows the world as it was mapped in 1935. Because sound reflects off the curved glass walls in an unusual way, visitors standing at opposite ends of the globe can hear each other in a whisper.

• Location: Boston
• Address: Massachusetts Ave and, Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
• Phone: [phone]
• Website: https://christianscience.com/find-us/visit-the-mother-church/visit-the-christian-science-plaza
• GPS coordinates: 42.34530,-71.08252
• Latest update: August 20, 2026 19:53