QUARTERLY NEWS MARY BAKER EDDY MUSEUM and Historic Sites VOL. 16, NO. 1 PUBLISHED BY LONGYEAR HISTORICAL SOCIETY SOLON SPENCER BEMAN Armstrong Collection . Courtesy Jeremy C. Beman SolonS. Beman, right, associate architect during last year of construction of The Mother Church Extension, shown above left on February 3, 1906. Referring to stained glass "picture" Beman began to study architecture at passed on in 1887 and Solon married windows, Mary Baker Eddy wrote to a the age of 17 in the firm of Richard Mary Howard Miller the following member of The Christian Science Upjohn in New York City. Beman's year in the Pullman Methodist Board of Directors in 1905, "Please let father was a builder who had become Church in Pullman Village. Their only Mr. Beman decide this question as known as the inventor of the process child was a son, Roffe Jocelyn Beman. well as all others relative to our of gravel roofing. At the age of 24 At the time of their marriage Church extension."1 Mrs. Eddy thus Solon was in business for himself, and neither of the Bemans knew of Chris­ indicated her confidence in the ability did so well that he was recommended tian Science. During the 1890's they and judgment of Solon Spencer Be­ to Chicago industrialist George came into Christian Science through man, who had been called to Boston as Pullman, who was searching for an Mary's healing of a nervous break­ associate architect and advisor to the architect to design an entire town for down. Solon and Mary became mem­ Board of Directors during the last year the workers of the Pullman Palace Car bers of The Mother Church and Mary of the construction of The Mother Company. of Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist, Church Extension. George Pullman hired Solon Beman Chicago, when it was organized in Mr. Beman's reputation as one of the in 1879 to design and superintend 1903. Solon received Primary class top American architects of the day construction of the village of Pullman instruction in Chicago from Edward and the fact that he was a Christian on Chicago's south side. Subsequently A. Kimball. Scientist made his selection most ap­ Pullman Village became known all Christian Science churches built in propriate. over America as a model of urban the period from 1890 to 1920 were Born in Brooklyn, New York, Solon planning and development. often designed in the classical revival Solon Beman married Miriam style, reminiscent of ancient Greece Quarterly News Spring 1979 Smith, an English girl, in Chicago in and Rome. Solon Beman was a lead­ @Longyear Foundation 1979 Vol. 16, No. 1 1882. Their daughter, Florence, and ing advocate of the style and em­ Subscription, $6.00 Annually their son, Spencer, were born during (Includes Activities at Longyear) ployed it in the designs for a number Sent without charge to Members of Longyear the 1880's while Solon's career was of Churches of Christ, Scientist leaping forward. Miriam Beman throughout the United States. 241 In the magazine World To-day (June 1907) Mr. Beman wrote: " ... architec­ ture along classic lines has found most favor with Christian Science church builders .. This style, with its sense of calm power and dignity, and with its true systems of proportion, its sin­ cerity and refinement, and I may add its rationalism, seems to represent the faith of those who employ it in their house of worship." Beman's early buildings in Pullman and Chicago in the 1880's were gothic and romanesque revival structures typical of the period. His interest in use of the classic revival style began when he was selected as one of fifteen architects to design buildings for the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. Among others cho­ Christian Science Publishing Society building designed by Mr. Beman, later used for The Mother Church administrative offices. Photograph taken March 14, 1908. sen were such notable architects as D. H. Burnham, Richard M. Hunt, overflow crowds at Sunday services Brigham's design for the Extension Charles F. McKim and Louis H. Sulli­ and Wednesday testimony meetings. was in the Byzantine style modeled van. The unifying motif adopted by At the 1902 Annual Meeting of The after the Mosque of Ahmed I in Con­ them was the classic style of Greece Mother Church, upon motion by Ed­ stantinople. In her book The Mother and Rome, and the impact of this ward A. Kimball, it was resolved to Church Extension, Margaret Wil­ classic influence on the many contribute any portion of two million liamson points out that " . as work thousands of visitors to the Exposition dollars necessary to erect an exten­ on the plans progressed, distinctly was seen in new buildings all over sion.4 Contributions poured in and Eastern features were little by little America for the following thirty the cornerstone was laid in 1904. Ar­ classicized. The domical ceilings of years. Of Beman's two Exposition chitect Charles Brigham's building the auditorium indicate that the form buildings - the Mines and Mining was well along in 1905 when Solon of the structure required at least a Building and the Merchant Tailors' Beman was invited to join the project. suggestion of Eastern influence; but Building - the latter became a pro­ Mr. Beman's architectural firm in elsewhere the revived classical ar­ totype for many of the Christian Sci­ Chicago was involved in the planning chitecture of the Renaissance in Italy ence churches he later designed. and construction of several buildings furnished the inspiration." (pp. In 1896 when members of Chicago's at the time, and, although he was not 32-33) First Church of Christ, Scientist were reluctant to take the Boston assign­ The seriousness with which Mr. ready to construct a church building, ment, he was not able to do so im­ Beman took his work and the goal he they chose Solon Beman as their ar­ mediately. When another summons had for the building are evident in an chitect. He designed for them a 1500- came urging him to take up the task in excerpt from a letter he wrote The seat classic Greek edifice, erected at Boston, he replied by letter directly to Christian Science Board of Directors 4017 Drexel Boulevard and dedicated Mrs. Eddy with an apology for not on December 4, 1905: "This building in 1897.2 At that time it was reported accepting the architectural assign­ is to take its place among the endur­ to be the largest edifice built as a ment right away. ing architectural monuments of the Christian Science church and the When he arrived in Boston in July country and nothing flippant or triv­ magnitude of the structure as well as 1905, Mr. Beman found that Mr. ial should have place in this stately its classic design were a sensation.3 structure." Beman's use of the classic style be­ Following dedication of the Exten­ came a popular model for Christian sion in June 1906, Solon Beman was Science church buildings for several called to Boston twice more to design decades. In Chicago he designed and oversee building projects. He was Second Church (1899) , Fourth Church first asked to design a building for the (1904) , Seventh Church (1907) , and Christian Science Publishing Soci­ later Sixth Church (1912). In all of the ety. This building, on which con­ following cities he was responsible for struction began in 1907, was located great classic revival structures each at 107 Falmouth Street across from known as First Church of Christ, Sci­ The Mother Church Extension and entist: Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Port­ later housed Mother Church admin­ land (Oregon), Evanston (Illinois), istrative offices. Then, when Mrs. Grand Rapids (Michigan), Milwaukee Eddy planned to move her residence and Pittsburgh. from Concord, New Hampshire to In 1896, only 18 months after the Chestnut Hill near Boston, Mr. Original Mother Church edifice had Courtesy Chicago Historical Society Beman was requested to superintend been completed, it was apparent that a 1911 portrait of Solon Beman the remodeling of the house on Bea­ large addition was needed to seat the by Oliver Denton Grover con Street. 242 FURNITURE EXHIBIT Visitors to the Mary Baker Eddy Museum since March 1977 have en­ joyed a special exhibit of furniture once owned by early workers in the Christian Science movement. The historical background of the various items in the exhibit is of considerable interest. Perhaps the oldest piece is a pine drop leaf table owned by Mary Baker Eddy's mother, Mrs. Abigail Ambrose Baker, and later used by Mrs. Eddy. It was given to Longyear Historical So­ ciety in 1965 by Mrs. Calvin C. Hill, Armstrong Collection who had acquired it from a niece of Left to right, Joseph Armstrong, Albert Conant, Daniel Patterson. On the table, pic­ Solon Beman and workmen on November 5, tured here with the leaves extended, 1905, during construction of The Mother Church is a handpainted Austrian pitcher Extension dome. which also belonged to Mrs. Baker. Solon Beman had a number of ap­ Another Baker family piece is a gilt pointments with Mrs. Eddy during framed mirror which was owned by the construction work. Her hospital­ Mrs. Eddy's sister, Mrs. Abigail H. Tilton of Sanbornton Bridge (Tilton), ity and tender concern extended to Asa Gilbert Eddy's desk sending for hot bouillon and crackers New Hampshire. The provenance for him during one of these early indicates that this mirror once hung One of the most interesting items is morning visits. The Beman family in the room Mrs. Eddy occupied a small desk which, when new, has a copy of Science and Health while living with her sister in the formed a portion of the office fur­ with Key to the Scriptures inscribed 1850's.