What happened to this iconic Kansas City domed church that could be seen for miles?
Kansas City’s Second Church of Christ Scientist opened in 1904 on the northeast corner of 31st and Troost, begging the question—was there a First Church?
The answer is yes, at 9th & Forest Streets. And it was built just six years earlier.
The congregation, which had been growing rapidly, spared no expense on the sequel.
They called in F.R. Comstock, the architect who’d designed the “mother church” in Boston. He opted for pure white stone in the Roman-Doric style, complete with 44-foot pillars and a graceful dome on top.
The temple’s cornerstone was imported from New Hampshire, the home of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science movement.
Because it sat on one of the highest points in Jackson County, the building could be seen from miles around. And chimes that were installed a few years later signaled its presence to the neighborhood too.
In 1955, the church moved south and sold the site to J.C. Penney. The building’s demolition was well-documented by photographers.
By 1980, the department store had also closed its doors. Today, the building serves Kansas City kids as the home base of Operation Breakthrough.
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