Christian Scientists first gathered in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in 1911. As the congregation grew, members met in several locations, including the Tenny Building on North Main Street and the American Legion Hall on the north side of East Orange Street.

In 1940, the congregation purchased a lot on Walnut Street, where the Disciples of Christ Church had stood until the 1930s. Construction of a new church began in 1959, incorporating the historic Seth Handerson house, built in 1836. This building became the home of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Chagrin Falls, preserving an important connection to the village’s early architectural history.

Preserving Chagrin Falls’ Religious and Architectural Heritage

The history of the First Church of Christ, Scientist illustrates the important role religious congregations played in the development of Chagrin Falls and the surrounding Chagrin Valley.

These churches reflect different periods of community growth, from the reuse of an early nineteenth-century house on Walnut Street to the establishment of new congregations and church buildings during the twentieth century. Together, they form part of the area’s enduring religious, cultural, and architectural heritage.