As of Friday, June 14, 2024, this gracious home in leafy Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, will be open weekends through the fall, ready to welcome guests.
Visitors will be able to stroll the grounds and revitalized formal garden and view an array of horse-drawn carriages in the carriage house. They can immerse themselves in the interactive exhibits about Mrs. Eddy’s life and the formative figures and years of Christian Science in the brand-new visitor center. And, most importantly, they will have the opportunity to accompany well-informed guides on a tour through the meticulously restored interiors of the main house—where Mrs. Eddy lived and worked closely with a trusted team to support, lead, and guide her Church from 1908 to 1910.
Every one of the 28 restored rooms in this building has been refurbished and refinished with historical accuracy—down to recreating upholstery, carpets, and wallpaper using traditional methods and placement of period furniture and artifacts from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The exterior and interior renovation and reconstruction process spanned nearly eight years, and involved close to a thousand workers, artisans, engineers, subcontractors—and, of course, all Longyear staff members!
Each room—its set-up, its function, its thoughtfully curated content—sheds light on and interprets different facets of life in this home. As you’ll learn from our knowledgeable guides, 400 Beacon Street was a hub of industrious activity, inspired decision-making, and spiritual demonstration as well as a haven of peace and family life for Mrs. Eddy and her staff.
- Step into the study where she daily worked, prayed, instructed her staff, met with Church officials, founded The Christian Science Monitor, and made final revisions to her writings, including Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures and the Manual of the Mother Church.
- Envision the bustle around the cast-iron stoves and wide sinks of the light-filled kitchen and the enjoyment of hearty meals and familial conversation in the inviting dining room.
- And picture the daily rhythms and work of a wide range of staff—secretaries, metaphysical workers, housekeepers, maids—as you walk through their well-appointed and cozy living spaces.
Nearly 200 Longyear members and others who are visiting Boston the weekend of May 31–June 4 for the Annual Meeting of The Mother Church are participating in special “preview” tours of the home. We hope that many more of you will be able to visit with your family and friends in the coming months.
The doors of 400 Beacon Street are open wide to welcome you!
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Planning Your Visit
Watch our website for a link to electronic ticketing for tours of 400 Beacon Street. (The system will go live online during the second week of June.)
Regularly scheduled tours of this Mary Baker Eddy Historic House will be available from June 14 through October 2024 as follows:
- Fridays and Saturdays: 10 A.M., 12 P.M., 2 P.M
- Sundays: 1 P.M. , 2 P.M.
Each tour will last for approximately 90 minutes.
Admission will be $20 for adults (18+), $10 for youth (7–17), and free for children under 7 and members.