Boston is filled with massive brick and stone buildings that line its streets and define its institutions. Imposing portals invite some and discourage others, reinforcing the social schisms that keep us all in our places.
A combination of new technologies and attitudes, however, is changing how institutions meet the street. . . .
The new Mary Baker Eddy Library at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, is a particularly elegant example. Using a bubble of glass seemingly blown from the heart of a giant stone monolith, Ann Beha Architects has created a compelling link between a public-spirited religious group and those it seeks to enlighten. . . .
