First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life, reincarnated as a museum.
After a century of worship in its West 96th Street home, First Church of Christ, Scientist sold its landmark building to Crenshaw Christian Center East. A decade later, Crenshaw sold the building to a developer intent on converting the structure to condominiums. New York City rejected that conversion plan, and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) bought the building in 2018. While the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved CMOM’s renovation plan, the church at this writing still has Crenshaw Christian Center signage.
- Name: Crenshaw Christian Center, First Church of Christ Scientist
- Location: 1 West 96th Street
- Year Completed: 1903
- Architect: John Mervin Carrere & Thomas Hastings
- Style: Beaux Arts
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: Designation Report (District)
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: Designation Report (Individual)
- Wikipedia: First Church of Christ, Scientist
- New York Times: Streetscapes – 2 Congregations Unite, and No. 2 Becomes No. 1
- Google Map
Gallery: Hover over photos for captions; click to view images in lightbox
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
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First Church of Christ, Scientist is entering its third life – reincarnated as a museum.
All images copyright © Kenneth Grant / photos taken June 2015
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