{"nrhp_refnum":"73001321","name":"First Church of Christ, Scientist","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"406 and 408 Middle St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Bern","county":"Craven County","state":"NC","lat":35.10829315900003,"lon":-77.03916644799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-10-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story, temple-form Classical Revival church of stuccoed brick at 406 and 408 Middle Street in New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, built in 1907 to a design by local architect Herbert W. Simpson.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a charming, small-scale example of the Classical Revival style that Herbert W. Simpson popularized in New Bern, and as a characteristic work of his. It was also the first Christian Science church in North Carolina, and founder Mary Baker Eddy took an active part in its construction.","narrative":"Built in 1907 at 406 and 408 Middle Street, this small Classical Revival church in New Bern is a one-story, temple-form building of stuccoed brick, three bays wide and five deep. An Ionic tetrastyle portico fronts the west facade, and Palladian windows light the front, rear and sides. Inside, the vestibule and sanctuary keep their original plan, Classical Revival mantels and early light fixture bases. Local architect Herbert W. Simpson designed it, and it is described as characteristic of his Classical Revival work. It was the first Christian Science church in North Carolina. Christian Science in New Bern began in 1894 with Mary Hatch Harrison, and a church was organized in 1902 with eighteen members. Founder Mary Baker Eddy took a close interest. She sent writings and $3,000 for the cornerstone and building fund, had the granite cornerstone block donated, and furnished the four wall inscriptions in 1907. The building was dedicated on July 28, 1907, and its modest scale fits the surrounding residential neighborhood.","period_of_significance":"20th Century (1907 construction)","architect_builder":"Herbert Woodley Simpson (Herbert W. Simpson), local architect","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition, unaltered, on its original site; the congregation was described as active in 1972 and the building is in religious use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.255758-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/7197/47719764/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/73001321.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001321/d29f8e0bf2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001321/d29f8e0bf2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tradewinds","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_-_New_Bern.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Tradewinds</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_-_New_Bern.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719764","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(New_Bern,_North_Carolina)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452691"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/craven-county/first-church-of-christ-scientist-73001321/"}