Perched majestically atop a hill at 400 Beacon Street in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Mary Baker Eddy’s final residence looks today as fresh and pristine as it did in January 1908 when she and her staff moved in. Yet just a few years ago, the 8.5-acre property was a massive construction site: trenches were being dug for new utility lines, back porches reconstructed, slate and rubber roofing replaced, masonry completely repointed, and the windows restored—among many other projects. Inside, not a single corner went untouched. The house was equipped with state-of-the-art systems, and 28 period rooms were refurbished and reinterpreted. The historically accurate restoration of 400 Beacon Street—informed by hundreds of period photographs, blueprints, and other records, as well as by evidence in the house itself—is the largest and most complex project Longyear Museum has ever undertaken. The work spanned nearly a decade and involved every member of the Longyear staff. As the house reopened to the public, staff members spoke about what participation in the project meant to them. This gallery captures their voices—and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the work that went on for years.
Click on the thumbnails below and scroll through to see larger images and captions.
