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Longyear Interns Tour 385 Commonwealth Avenue
July 16, 2012
Recently, the Longyear Museum summer interns received a special invitation to visit the residence of the First Reader of The Mother Church. Sandy Sandberg and his wife, Jean, welcomed the young professionals to 385 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, on Tuesday, July 3.
The twenty-room townhouse, which was once the home of Mary Baker Eddy, boasts five stories including a high pointed tower which distinguishes it from the other buildings on the block. According to historical records, when the construction of Commonwealth Avenue was completed in 1888, the neighborhood was hailed as the “the prime driveway of our city.”
Mary Baker Eddy lived at the Commonwealth Avenue brownstone for eighteen months between 1887 and 1889, before moving to Concord, New Hampshire. During this time, Mrs. Eddy continued to teach classes at the Massachusetts Metaphysical College on nearby Columbus Avenue, where she previously lived from 1882 to 1887. She published Unity of Good and Unreality of Evil (later Unity of Good) while living here and continued to preach in Boston. She later provided that 385 Commonwealth Avenue be the residence of the First Reader (see Manual of The Mother Church, Article 2, Sect. 4).
The Sandbergs' top-to-bottom tour of the brownstone included many historical anecdotes about Mrs. Eddy and former First Readers. The Longyear interns have visited all of the Mary Baker Eddy historic houses in Longyear’s collection this summer, and it was a special treat for them to see this former residence of Mrs. Eddy now owned by The Mother Church.
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