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SECOND CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST

Location

41 COOKSON STREET CAMBERWELL, BOROONDARA CITY

File Number

602012

Level

Registered

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Statement of Significance

The Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Camberwell was designed in the Moderne-Classical manner in 1937 by the architectural firm, Bates Smart & McCutcheon. The building, designed with overlapping cuboids of banded, cream brickwork with patterned brick cornices, uses geometric massing to achieve a monumental form. The building comprises a Sunday school at ground level, administration at the rear and the church at the first floor level.

The Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Camberwell is of architectural importance to the state of Victoria.

The Second Church of Christ, Scientist, Camberwell is of architectural significance as an excellent example of a building in the Moderne-classical manner. A recipient of the royal Victorian institute of architecture (RVIA) award in 1938, the building was influential in the architectural profession and is an important early example of the union between religious worship and Modernistic styling. The building, with its limited ornamentation, was at the vanguard of church architectural styling. Churches within the state generally employed eclectic styling until the post Second World War period and the Second Church of Christ, Scientist therefore represents an early and significant break with traditional stylistic concerns in church architecture. The Christian Scientist movement, which began as an offshoot of Protestant religions, has established a dedication to modern architectural imagery worldwide. The church believes that a pure architectural design reflects the philosophical basis of the faith. The building, with its resolved design and skilful execution, demonstrates the influence of northern European and American architecture on Australian designs. The Second Church of Christ, Scientist is an excellent example of the work of the distinguished architectural firm, Bates Smart & McCutcheon and is important as being the first building outside of the city of Melbourne to receive a RVIA award.

[Source: Report to the Minister.]

Group