First Church of Christ Scientist is located in downtown Petaluma at the corner of 6th and B Streets on the southern edge of the historic downtown and about two blocks west of the new theatre district. It is easily located from Petaluma Blvd by turning west on B Street and driving 2 blocks to 6th. The Church is a historic structure built in the early 1900s. There is a small parking lot behind the building and additional on-street parking surrounding the church.
Seating is on wooden pews. A limited number of cushions are available on a first-come basis.
The church holds services Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. In respect for the wishes of the congregation, please refrain from consuming alcohol or smoking on church property. There is no phone in the church building.
A Bit of History
A place of grace and serenity was what a congregation of Christian Scientists envisioned in the early 1920s as they constructed a new church. The result, a simple and elegant structure, proves that good design is timeless. It's easy to envision this church serving the faithful for another century.
The Christian Scientists held their first services in Petaluma in 1906, and congregated at a succession of locations in town. In 1917, they purchased a lot at 6th and B Streets where stood a Victorian house which they temporarily used as a church and reading room. The church members hired architect Edward C. Bolles of San Francisco, constructed the new church building themselves, finished it in 1922, then dedicated it in 1928 when they retired the debt.
The Spanish Revival style is immediately evident in the stucco walls, curved windows, and Spanish tile roof. Note the pillar detail next to the Sunday School entrance and the grapes-and-vine relief above the center front door. The heavy, raise-paneled front doors have bronze exteriors and solid wood interiors. Windows of caramel and white leaded glass are composed of alternating motifs of circles and diamonds. Look for this same scheme echoed throughout the church.
The interior features a coved ceiling and original light fixtures with acorn-shaped milk-glass globes both in the large chandeliers and smaller lamps in the vestibule. Perhaps the most striking interior element is the arched triptych of Moorish filigree that houses the organ above the readers' platform. The Austin Pipe Organ Opus 1617, built in 1928, has two manuals and ten ranks, and is considered one of the finest of its class in northern California.
Behind the main church room are several readers' rooms, and the adjacent Sunday School with its own entrance. In its 89 years the church has required only minimal restoration; occasional replastering touchups and painting. The original exterior color appears to have been salmon pink.
--From Heritage Homes of Petaluma, 2004 Biennial Tour guidebook, published by Heritage Homes of Petaluma, a non-profit architectural preservation organization founded in 1967 to protect the unique character of the Petaluma area by encouraging the careful preservation and restoration of vintage buildings of historical, architectural or cultural significance.