First Church of Christ, Scientist from “Little Fires Everywhere”

Though I stalked and blogged about Little Fires Everywhere locations ad nauseam, amazingly there is still one spot I have yet to cover – Pasadena’s First Church of Christ, Scientist, which masked as the Shaker Heights courthouse on the new Hulu series.  I recognized the building as soon as it came onscreen in episode 7 (though, truth be told, I often get it confused with the similar-looking Second Church of Christ, Scientist in West Adams).  Not only did I used to live just a few blocks from the temple and pass by it regularly on my thrice daily walks to Starbucks, but I am very familiar with it thanks to its appearance in Scream 2.  I was sure I had taken pictures of the place for my October 2016 write-up on the horror flick’s Los Angeles locales, but when I went to look, I couldn’t find any in my photo library.  So onto my To-Stalk List it went.  Then, late last week, my friend Kim sent me a text asking about must-see places in Pasadena.  Turns out she was heading to Crown City for a little (socially distant) stalking trek the following day.  Thrilled, I asked if she might pop by First Church of Christ, Scientist to snap some pics for me, which she gladly did.  Thank you, Kim!

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First Church of Christ, Scientist was designed by Franklin Pierce Burnham beginning in 1909.  The Classical Revival building was one of the architect’s last works and he, sadly, didn’t live to see it completed.  Burnham passed away unexpectedly in December 1909, at which point Marston & Van Pelt (who also gave us Arden Villa from Vacation, the Gilmore mansion from Gilmore Girls, the S.S. Hinds Estate from Beaches,  and the A.L. Garford House from Twins) took over.

The structure’s most notable feature is its central dome, inspired by the Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, aka the religion’s “mother church.”

When it was completed, First Church of Christ, Scientist had the distinction of being Pasadena’s largest building.  Though that is no longer the case, it remains one of the city’s prettiest.  As such, it is no shock that it found its way to the screen.

The church first pops up as the Shaker Heights courthouse in the seventh episode of Little Fires Everywhere, titled “Picture Perfect,” as the custody battle for Mirabelle McCullough/May Ling Chow (I cannot find the name of the actress who plays her anywhere!) gets underway.

The building also appears a couple of times in the Little Fires Everywhere finale, titled “Find a Way.”  It is first shown as in an establishing shot as the McCullough/Chow trial continues.

And then later, after the verdict is announced, the McCulloughs’ lawyer, Bill Richardson (Joshua Jackson), holds a press conference on the front steps.

Only the exterior of the building was used on the series.  Interiors were shot elsewhere, though I am unsure of where.

As I mentioned earlier, First Church of Christ, Scientist is also featured in Scream 2.  Though little of it can be seen, it is outside of the building that Ghostface gets into a car crash and kills Hallie McDaniel (Elise Neal) in the 1997 horror flick.  In the caps below, Hallie is standing at the eastern end of the church’s Green Street side, with the camera facing west.

Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) shoots August Marks (Billy Brown) in front of First Church of Christ, Scientist in the series finale of Sons of Anarchy, titled “Papa’s Goods,” which aired in 2014.

That same year, the building posed as Washington, D.C.’s United States Department of Justice at the top of the Season 1 episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. titled “Nothing Personal.”

Huge THANK YOU to my friend Kim for stalking this location for me and taking all of the photos that appear in this post! 

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Until next time, Happy Stalking! 

Stalk It: First Church of Christ, Scientist, aka Shaker Heights courthouse from Little Fires Everywhere, is located at 80 South Oakland Avenue in Pasadena.