I’ve lived in and around Boston since 1987, but today was the first time I visited the Mapparium. It was a unique experience. Grab a beverage and transport yourself back to 1935, after a word from our sponsor!
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The Mapparium is a three story stained glass globe conceived and built in the early 1930’s during construction of the Christian Science Publishing Society building. Architect Chester Lindsay Churchill wanted to create a symbol of the Christian Science Monitor's global outreach. He was inspired by the spinning globe in the lobby of the New York Daily News building. You view the mirror image reversal map from the inside, which according to Atlas Obscura makes it the only place in the world in which the surface of the earth can be seen without distortion.
The map represents the political boundaries of the world as they were in the early 1930s, and the idea of updating it was turned down in favor of honoring the historical significance of the design. It’s both fascinating and to my eye a damning look at just how much influence European nations exerted in other parts of the world, specifically Africa, Asia and South America.
The Mapparium has several acoustic effects due to the shape and material used in construction that reflects sound. It’s a Whispering Gallery, in which two people at opposite ends of the bridge on which you walk through the middle of the structure can whisper softly yet still be heard to one another. It’s also possible when you stand at the exact center of the globe, to hear yourself in 360 degree surround sound. That was the most surprising and vaguely unnerving part of the whole experience.
The Mapparium is trademarked and it was not permitted to take photos or videos while inside, so I encourage you to check out the photo gallery here. I’ll end with one more from the Mary Baker Eddy Library site:
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