It is and has been for twenty years New England’s distinctive society hotel. The main ballroom is decorated in the style of Louis XIV with marble bases and gray Sienna stone for walls. The Sheraton Room opening directly off the lobby is furnished in Italian Renaissance style. The main cafe contains the celebrated Merry-Go-Round bar, a unique attraction. Directly in front of you is the
Boston Public Library
Designed after the style of the Italian Renaissance by McKim, Meade & White, the interior of the building is of great beauty and visitors come from all parts of the world to admire it. Famous murals by Pierre Cecile Puvis de Chavannes, Edwin Austin Abbey, and John Singer Sargent will hold you spellbound. Visitors are advised to purchase the handbook of the Boston Public Library, on the second floor, for thirty-five cents in order to remember the various art treasures.
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Leaving the Public Library, turning right on Huntington Avenue and proceeding past Mechanics Building, home of Boston Automobile Shows and other notable expositions, we continue on Huntington Avenue to Norway Street and turn right to the
Christian Science Church
Rising over the city’s roofs and spires is the great white dome of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, affectionately known as the “Mother Church.” In Boston, the Christian Science movement was founded, and its administrative center is there. The branch churches of Christ, Scientist, are to be found in almost every part of the civilized world.
The original edifice, completed and dedicated in 1895 with a seating capacity of 1,000 persons, soon became inadequate to accommodate those desiring to attend its services. Accordingly, in 1905 there was erected the extension, crowned by the majestic dome reaching to a height of two hundred and twenty-four feet above the street, having a diameter of eighty-two feet. The auditorium seats approximately five thousand. It required two years to build and cost nearly two million dollars. It was dedicated in June, 1906, and like all Christian Science ventures, it was free of debt. No funerals, marriages or social entertainments add to its income. The church is built of Indiana limestone and New Hampshire granite, New Hampshire being the native state of Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science. The great organ is a notable instrument, its gilded pipes rising behind the quiet and dignified rostrum whereon stand the two desks for the readers who conduct the services. The general effect is one of breadth, spaciousness, and all pervading light. Within and without, the church demands attention and admiration as one of the largest and most impressive churches in the world.
Leaving the Christian Science Church, we go directly to Massachusetts Avenue, and turning left come to