Reading Room Update! September 2018.

Since our move from 266 North Terrace, we have sold periodicals at every Sunday Service.  Plans have been underway for more than 12 months for the establishment of a new Christian Science Reading Room.

We engaged Cheesman Architects to lead this project.  We have worked with them for some years and felt that they were the right fit to help with design of the space.  A group of members, including Reading Room staff worked to develop a list of possible activities which could be included in a Reading Room, together with the spiritual qualities it needed to reflect.

This statement was part of the broad brief provided to the architects and interior designer:

The overall feeling in the Reading Room should be one of deep spiritual calm – a place for quiet and respite from the pressures of daily life and a place with spiritual answers.  We would like this to be reflected in the fit out.  The atmosphere should be welcoming and kind.  This is not to say that it should not also be joyfully active.  It will have areas of quiet contemplation, spaces just to sit and regroup, or talk with an attendant.  People who walk – or even drive past should be able to grab a ‘bite’ of information about us – maybe about the Monitor, or  Mrs Eddy (the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science), and about the Christ.  We need to communicate our contemporary relevance to the community. 

Work commenced some 4 weeks ago to demolish the interior structures in the space, and it wasn’t long before the first fix work was done, and some framing completed.  This photo shows the two back rooms – the quiet study area and the back office framed up, and first fixings in the ceiling space.

 Interior Designer Melanie onsite for a meeting..

Handover is expected in around mid September and we will need to allow a week or 10 days to install all the books sent to storage and get everything ready for opening.  Keep an eye on the feedsy news page, as we will post new photos as they come to hand.  Our new address is Shop 4, Ground Floor, 63 Pirie Street Adelaide.