First Church of Christ, Scientist, Theatre and church building in Old Northeast neighborhood, Saint Petersburg, Florida

This structure in the Old Northeast is a former church building now functioning as a theatre and performance venue that combines Romanesque Revival features with basilica-like interior elements. The space includes a historic organ and generous acoustics designed to carry music and spoken word throughout the hall.

Built in 1925 as the First Church of Christ, Scientist, the building was designed by architect Howard Lovewell Cheney, who modelled it on Filippo Brunelleschi's 15th-century Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence. The George A. Fuller Construction Company of New York was the builder. In 1998 it was sold to the Palladium Theater, which renovated it while keeping the 1926 Skinner organ and the Batchelder tilework; in 2007 it passed to St. Petersburg College.

The interior holds Arts and Crafts tilework made in the Los Angeles studios of Ernest A. Batchelder, kept during the 1998 renovation. The 1926 Skinner organ also survives in the hall. The First Church of Christ, Scientist now meets at 6333 First Street Northeast.

The venue is located along Fifth Avenue North in a historic neighborhood and remains easy to reach on foot with clear orientation within the district. Guests should check ahead about current programming since the calendar of events changes regularly throughout the year.

The 1926 Skinner organ and Arts and Crafts tilework by Ernest A. Batchelder of Los Angeles survived the 1998 conversion to a theater. The building has been a contributing property in the North Shore Historic District since February 20, 2003, and the congregation now meets at 6333 First Street Northeast.