The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Cambridge, in partnership with the Harvard Square Business Association, is pleased to announce the restoration of the lighting at the Art Deco building at 23 Church Street.

At 5:30pm on November 7^th, witness the restored architectural lights return to their original glory as they originally appeared in 1936.  Missing for decades, they have been faithfully reconstructed with modern lighting technology. 

Built in 1936 for the Cambridge Gas and Electric Light Company by architect William Lawrence Galvin (1902 – 1983), 23 Church Street is now home to Rodney’s Bookstore and the Christian Science Reading Room.  

In 2015, Charles Sullivan, executive director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, revealed that lights previously adorned the façade of 23 Church Street.  In 2022, the commission awarded the church a grant to restore the outside of the building, including the installation of new lights.   Through the expertise of Poyant, an award-winning signage design and fabrication firm, lighting was installed that is identical in appearance to the original, while utilizing modern technology. 

In addition to The Cambridge Historical Commission, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Cambridge, thanks Marcos Almada of Almada Restoration, Rodrigo Almeida of RB Farina Roofing, Jason Fredette and the skilled designers and craftspeople at Poyant Lighting, and Tom Kuik at Kuik Electrical, the master electrician who designed and installed the circuitry that powers the lights.

See the link below for an interesting history of 23 Church Street and how this project came to fruition.