{"nrhp_refnum":"92001250","name":"First Church of Christ, Scientist","other_names":["Cultural Heritage Board Landmark No. 7,City of Riverside"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3606 Lemon St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Riverside","county":"Riverside County","state":"CA","lat":33.982490142000074,"lon":-117.37048217999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-09-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Mission Revival church building at 3606 Lemon Street (corner of Sixth and Lemon) in downtown Riverside, California, designed by architect Arthur Burnett Benton and built in 1900-01, dedicated in February 1901.","why_significant":"The church is significant locally under Criterion C as a representative of Mission Revival architecture in Riverside and as the earliest surviving example of its type in the city. It was Arthur Benton's first design in Riverside, and Benton was an early, major exponent of the style. The exterior is virtually unaltered since 1901.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Sixth and Lemon Streets in downtown Riverside, this church was built in 1900-01 to designs by Arthur Burnett Benton and dedicated in February 1901. It is a Mission Revival building with classical touches, including a front portico of five Ionic columns flanked by two bell towers, a cloister-like arcade with a metal tile roof along one side, and a large central dome with stained glass windows. The auditorium seats about 350, with a gallery above. The exterior has changed very little; roof tiles replaced in 1991 were cast from the original molds. The interior has been modified, including 1950s coverings over exposed wood in the dome and changes behind the rostrum. A 1955-56 Sunday school next door does not contribute to the property. The church is considered the oldest surviving Mission Revival building in Riverside and was Benton's first Riverside commission. It became City Landmark No. 7 in 1969.","period_of_significance":"1901","architect_builder":"Benton, Arthur Burnett; Spaulding, F. L.","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th century revivals: Mission","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Owned and used by an active religious congregation; exterior in excellent condition and virtually unaltered, interior somewhat altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.097938-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/92001250.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001250/60e00fc99e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92001250/60e00fc99e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Steve Rouhotas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Church_Of_Christ_Historical_0196_Wiki_a.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Steve Rouhotas</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_Historical_0196_Wiki_a.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860464","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(Riverside,_California)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452705"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/riverside-county/first-church-of-christ-scientist-92001250/"}