Last month, Finegold Alexander Principals Regan Shields Ives and Christopher Lane accepted the 2026 Faith & Form International Award for Religious Architecture & Art for the restoration and preservation project of The First Church of Christ, Scientist!

The project won the Religious Architecture Restoration award for its restoration of the historic interior finishes, rehabilitation of the semi-domes and cupola, accessibility improvements, and upgraded electrical and life safety systems.

"A restorationist’s dream, this multi-phase project was systematic and truly comprehensive—top to bottom, inside and out. Few clients or budgets can support this kind of advanced and uncompromising level of architectural restoration. The resplendence of the Mother Church is back. The building is also more accessible, watertight, and safer than it ever was in the past," the jury commented.

At the ceremony which was part of the annual AIA Conference on Design and Architecture, Regan and Christopher accepted the award on behalf of the entire project team including Finegold Alexander, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and the other consultant groups.

Read a snippet from Christopher’s acceptance speech below:

“Thank you to Faith & Form, the AIA, and the jury for recognizing The First Church of Christ, Scientist Mother Church with this Restoration Award.

“What makes this award especially meaningful is that the project was never about a single design gesture or solution. It was about stewardship—understanding the history embodied in these buildings, respecting their architectural integrity, and finding thoughtful ways to improve accessibility, safety, and the congregational experience while preserving what makes this place so special.

“What I will remember most is not the complexity of the work, although there was certainly plenty of that. It is the trust that developed between architect, engineer and client over nearly a decade of collaboration. Together, we navigated difficult decisions, phased construction, occupied buildings, evolving priorities, a pandemic and the shared responsibility of caring for an internationally significant place of worship.

“Projects of this scale are never accomplished by one person or one firm alone. I would like to thank The First Church of Christ, Scientist for their partnership and trust; as well as Simpson Gumpertz & Heger; our consultants, contractors, craftspeople, and preservation specialists; and my colleagues at Finegold Alexander Architects whose expertise and dedication made this work possible.”

Learn more about this eight-year-long project here.