{"nrhp_refnum":"03000042","name":"First Church of Christ, Scientist","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2200 Overlook Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cleveland","county":"Cuyahoga County","state":"OH","lat":41.502979036000056,"lon":-81.59952648099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2003-02-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Beaux Arts church building at 2200 Overlook Road in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, built 1929-1931 and designed by Walker and Weeks. It sits on the edge of a plateau above the University Circle district.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is an exceptionally fine, innovative example of Beaux Arts design and an important work of Walker and Weeks, one of Cleveland's top three architectural firms of the first half of the 20th century. Its design served as a precedent for the firm's Severance Hall. It is also described as a superb three-dimensional expression of the Christian Science faith.","narrative":"Perched on the edge of a plateau at the Cleveland and Cleveland Heights boundary, this church combines an octagonal, two-story auditorium with a one-story office wing and a 155-foot bell tower. Built from 1929 to 1931, it has a steel frame, beige limestone ashlar walls and a reinforced concrete foundation that extends into a ravine, creating three half-octagonal levels below the sanctuary. A two-story Corinthian portico with mahogany doors marks the east entrance. Inside, the auditorium has a domed ceiling of gold leaf and floral plaster, a painted oculus, colossal Ionic columns at the balcony, and pink marble wainscot. Walker and Weeks designed it, and the form credits Dana Clark, a chief designer in the firm. Its principal features were planned in 1928, before the firm's Severance Hall, which it closely resembles. The property is recognized for its architecture and for expressing the Classical tastes favored by Christian Science congregations. Its design is largely unaltered.","period_of_significance":"1929 - 1931","architect_builder":"Walker and Weeks, Architects","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Beaux Arts Classicism","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Historic function was a religious facility; the form lists the current function as commerce/trade/business (work in progress). The form states the design has not been altered and the property retains integrity, with only minor interior changes.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.152135-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/03000042.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000042/8f8b98cd61-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/03000042/8f8b98cd61-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist,_of_Cleveland.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist,_of_Cleveland.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000897","name":"Euclid Heights Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/euclid-heights-historic-district-12000897/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987359","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(Cleveland)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452672"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/cuyahoga-county/first-church-of-christ-scientist-03000042/"}