FINAL REPORT OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE
FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST
MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, December 1, 1922
At a special meeting for the members, held on August 29, 1919,
a building committee was elected by the First Church of Christ,
Scientist, Marlborough, Massachusetts. The committee was approved
and elected by the members as follows--George A. Stacey, George
W. Atwood, George A. Stevens, Mrs. Harriet A. Stacey and Mrs.
Minnie B. Chick. At the close of the church meeting Mr. George
A. Stacey called a meeting of the building committee.
Mr. Stacey was elected Chairman and George A. Stevens, Clerk.
The matter of a loan was taken up at this meeting so it could
be brought before the Church for action. Mr. George W. Atwood
was appointed a committee of one to see the Marlborough Savings
Bank and render a report to the next church meeting for consideration.
A committee on church property was appointed on January 10, 1919
by the church who were George A. Stacey, George A. Stevens and
George W. Atwood. he committee held a number of meetings and
were impressed by the work of Howard L. Cheney, Architect, of
Chicago. Mr. Atwood looked over a number of pictures on file
at the Christian Science Publishing Society for church purposes
in the United States, many of which had Howard L. Cheney['s]
name attached. On writing to Mr. Cheney about our plot of land,
Mr. Atwood sent several snapshots of the building furnished by
the committee. Mr. Cheney, in a letter, thought he would call
at Marlboro when he was in Boston on June 2, 1919, at which time
he would look over our property and felt he could give us a suitable
building for church purposes. When he arrived he was much impressed
with the possibility of remodeling and stated that he would furnish
a sketch and floor plan for $50. which the church voted to have
the committee accept. When this sketch and floor plan was received
by the committee it was very pleasing, so the committee reported
to a special church meeting on August 13 to consider the sketch
and floor plan. The members were very much pleased with the detail
which Mr. Cheney sent giving us an auditorium seating 122 people,
a foyer, a coat-room, a first and second readers room, a ladies
restroom, ladies and gents toilets, all on the first floor. On
the second floor a reading room, that could be used as a balcony
with a seating capacity of 36. Mr. Cheney stated what he would
be able to do this work for, an amount approximately between
six and eight thousand dollars including all building cost, plumbing,
heating, electric fixtures, wiring, etc. After the members had
heard the report and recommendations the church voted to send
for work plans which Mr. Cheney would furnish for $200. which
gave the necessary drawings, sketches, of windows, doors, columns,
cornices, with interior and exterior finish so that the contractor
could proceed with the work freely. Having received the blue-prints
by August 28, 1919, we went over the plans carefully and found
them to be as represented by the Architect and submitted all
reports, sketches and plans to the church for action and dismissal
of the committee. On vote of the committee, Mr. Atwood went to
the Marlborough Savings Bank to see if the bank would give us
a loan on the church property to start on the work. On examination
of our church deed covering both the land and the building, Judge
Edgar Weeks discovered that our deed was not in proper condition.
He found a legal flaw in the deed which he had to have straightened
out before we would be able to obtain the money from the bank.
Mr. Atwood reported to the committee and the church that we could
not get the money on our property until we had a clear title
to our deed. Judge Weeks said that he would advertise our deed
in the land court and without a doubt there would be no trouble
in having the slight mistake corrected. When the deed was received
by Judge Weeks in proper condition the bank stated that they
would give us a$6000 loan at 6% interest by order of the President
and Treasurer of the Church in accordance with the by-laws of
the church, on a two-thirds vote of the members, and this vote
was carried.
The building committee met for purposes of starting the work
on our church remodeling and to get the sketches and plans accepted
by the church from Howard Cheney.
The committee had given Mr. Joseph E. Warren the sketches
and plans to study and on September 5, 1919, he met our committee
at Corey Building and went over the blue-prints as furnished
by Mr. Cheney and stated that he felt that he could do the carpenter
work as called for in the plans for $5500 which would include
stock, labor liability, insurance, tools, inside and outside
painting, mason work and allow 10% on the above part of the work
to be his profit on the contract. On careful study the committee
found that by making a few changes in some of the stock we could
save quite a little money. First, in flooring, we changed from
birch to beech which would wear as well and made quite a little
difference. The inside wood finish called for cypress but we
found that North Carolina pine could be bought much cheaper wherein
it was to be painted would give a much smoother finish and, on
the outside, called for white pine and we decided to use cypress
which made another saving. Roof plans called for cedar shingles
but the committee found that the best Birds' Neponset roofing
shingles, which came two shingles to a section, in a gray green
shade and slate filled, could be bought at about the same price
and would last very much longer than the cedar shingles. The
committee voted on August 29, 1919 to give Joseph E. Warren,
Builder, the job to remodel the house into a church building
as outlined in this report.
George W. Wallace was given a set of blue-prints to mike a
bid and bring in his estimate for the heating and plumbing. On
Mr. Wallace's report, the committee decided to heat with hot-air
as it would prove the most efficient and safest in all weather
for church purposes. It was decided to use one large heater and
one small heater as during most of the time it would be only
necessary to use one heater and make quite
a saving in coal. The estimate on heating was $600 including
two heaters and the estimate on plumbing was $350. using all
brass pipe and standard fixtures also allowing a credit on all
old and lead pipes found on the job and the work to be given
out as day
work. It was voted on September 24, 1919 to give Mr. Wallace
the heating and plumbing as above stated.
The electric wiring was given out to Mr. Dawes in Hudson and
George B. Herrick in Marlboro to figure on and bring in their
estimates. Mr. Dawes failed to send in the figures but Mr. Herrick
gave us a price of $245 which would include all wiring, using
knob and tube method with all outlets, flushed switches, service
pipe, meter board and ground wire. The committee voted to have
Mr. Atwood go to Boston and look at electric fixtures necessary
to give proper lighting in our church, also we received a detailed
report from Mr. Cheney giving sketches of shades and fixtures
from the Victor S. Pearlman Company of Chicago at a cost on contract
of $290 and the outside standards on the church steps at $135.
The committee and members of the church were very much pleased
with the sketches of the shades and fixtures received by the
Victor S. Pearlman Company and the contract was voted at once.
Samples of glass were next received from different firms but
the sample furnished by Mr. Cheney was the one selected by the
committee and church members from the Gustave A. Brand Company
of Chicago and order placed for the same. The hardware for the
church fittings was placed with the P. & H. Corbin Company
of New Britain, Connecticut and furnished in brushed gold to
match the electrical fixtures. The contract on the hardware was
$250. By vote of the committee this order was placed in our local
hardware dealer's hands, Mr. Arthur L. Lamson, so that he might
receive the 10% discount which he was entitled to. On recommendation
of Mr. Cheney, Architect, the committee appointed Mr. Stevens
and Mr. Atwood to call on the American Seating Company in Boston
in regard to either chairs or pews. On our visit in Boston we
decided that we could place our order for pews much cheaper and
could seat more people having found one model which was very
comfortable took number of same and reported to the church committee
and church meeting. During this time we received a wire from
Architect Cheney that on coming Monday pews would advance 25%
so Mr. Stevens and Mr. Atwood, by vote of the building committee
went to Boston on Saturday noon placing a blanket order for pews
and front railing, selecting the same style and model as Seventh
Church of Christ, Scientist, in Chicago, were using. The body
of the pews had an elm seat, #143 style and the end of the pews
#308, two ply birch, to be finished in silver gray stain. The
contract on pews eight rows $685 and the front rail $135, total
$820 Chicago F.o.b.
The grading was given to R. Loring Hayward of Taunton, Mr.
Brigham of Clinton, and James Bigelow of Marlboro, to bring in
the sketches and levels. The committee were not at all satisfied
with the report given, therefore voted to let the grading lay
until the church was nearer finished which proved to be much
more appealing to the committee and members.
The Building Committee was very much surprised in January
1920, to find on the receipt of the third bill rendered by J.
E. Warren, Builder, that it brought the amount nearly to the
figure for the completed job. The three bills amounted to $5204.24.
The committee at once reported to the Board of Directors the
condition that the committee had found and a special church meeting
of the members was called, and it was voted to see the President
of the Marlborough Savings Bank and see if the church could have
another loan of $4000. which the Marlborough Bank voted to let
the church have at 6%, the same as it did on the first note.
At another church meeting in March 1920, it was voted to have
the President and Treasurer sign the second note as called for
in our church by-laws and the money given to the treasurer when
it was needed.
Ventilation and fire safety rules were taken up at the State
House for a permit to hold church services and meetings by the
clerk, Mr. Stevens, with the Department of Public Safety and
after a few minor adjustments to comply with the law, we were
permitted to use the church for a public meeting place and in
accordance with the laws of Massachusetts.
The committee and church voted not to complete the sidewalks
only on the Winthrop Street side at the present time and a cement
walk connecting the side door to the reading-room from Winthrop
Street and this same walk connecting to a landing in front of
the church to the main entrance. This amount costing approximately
$300. In 1921, the church voted to have the necessary steps and
a six foot cement walk extending from the main entrance to West
Main Street completing the cement walks.
This left the grading of the church lot unfinished and by
vote of the church it was laid aside until 1922. During May 1922,
the church voted by recommendation of the building committee
to get figures on the grading, grassing, and putting in a gravel
driveway. We had two sets of figures but owing to the quality
of the work done by Mr. Daniel Santoro and recommendations of
other estates in town, the committee gave the contract to Mr.
Santoro at $550. This work having been completed and all bills
having been vouched for and paid to date, by the church treasurer,
with all the church remodeling finished as voted by the church,
from time to time, the committee feels that its work is completed
and we wish to give detail of expenditures incurred by the remodeling
of our building on this property to the present church building.
As we know the attached report has been approved by the building
committee and paid by the treasurer of this church, and we now
have a note outstanding with the Marlborough Savings Bank to
the amount of $10,000 at 6% interest, semi-annually. The total
cost, as the report shows, for remodeling this building now stands
at $18,569.30. This will allow our church a grant from the Trustees
under the will of Mary Baker Eddy of $3,856.93, after we have
paid $6,144.07 to the Marlborough Savings Bank on principle notes
now standing.
This we feel, a concise and correct report from your building
committee appointed August 29, 1919 and we now wish to be dismissed
from our duties.
[original signed by Geo. A. Stevens, Clerk, and Minnie E.
Chick]
[detailed report of expenditures attached]
[retyped by Georgiana and Frederick Rock, 2001-2002]
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