Designed by Ann Beha Architects, The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, which opens this month in Boston is as much an urban renewal enterprise—a breath-of-fresh-air, park-like gift to the community—as it is a building project honor of the powerful ideas of a unique individual. The stone 1930s neoclassical Christian Science Publishing House, which is also home to The Christian Science Monitor and to which the graceful steel and glass modern library entrance has been added still stands largely intact. But its grand interior spaces have been carefully refurbished and reshaped. And its massive Massachusetts Avenue end-wall, which used to separate people in the building from people on the street, has been partially removed and reconceived as a passageway, rather than a barrier.
The change relative to the neighborhood, the city, and the world, is both physical and symbolic. Isolation has given way to connection. Closed has turned to open. Heavy to light. All in the spirit of what Mrs. Eddy told a newspaper reporter in 1907: "... my mission is for all the earth, not alone for my dear devoted followers in Christian Science." Interview with W. T. Maclntyre, New York American, August 26, 1907.
Ann Beha's work over the past 25 years has focused on the revitalization and creation of landmark buildings throughout the United States. Ms. Beha runs a 45-person office in Boston and works nationally on cultural and civic projects. Her numerous awards include the 25th Anniversary Preservation Award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Ms. Beha is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
