Article May 5, 1951 Issue

Building Reports

[Excerpts from information assembled for the Reading Room Division by the committees of two branch churches]

In April, 1946, a committee of twenty was formed to study ways and means of moving our Reading Room from the basement of the church edifice to a ground-floor location in a district with active foot traffic. In June, 1949, the church membership authorized the opening of a building fund and the erection of a special Reading Room building on the church property. It was stipulated that money to cover construction contracts should be in hand before building operations commenced.

In December, 1949, ground for the new building was broken. Construction was carried on throughout the winter, spring, and summer. At no time was any money borrowed, nor was there any resort to pledges. Whenever each phase of the construction was complete, the money was on hand to pay for it. In June, 1950, the decorating work was under way. On Wednesday evening, August 1950, the Reading Room was opened to the public.

Fruitage from the resulting activity had within the first five months exceeded the committee's most optimistic expectations. Sales averaged from two to four times more than they were in the church-basement location. The number of visitors has been substantially higher, and the additional people are for the most part newcomers attracted by the Reading Room itself; others are men and women who are just beginning the study of Christian Science.

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