'First Church of Christ, Scientist' by Paul Williams

The former First Church of Christ, Scientist, built in 1939, is an historic Classical revival style Christian Science church edifice located at 501 Riverside Drive, overlooking the Truckee River in Reno, Nevada. Anna Frandsen Loomis, a wealthy local Christian Scientist, underwrote the $120,000 cost of the building, including land acquisition and architect's fees. She was responsible for hiring noted Los Angeles architect Paul Revere Williams, the first African-American member of the AIA. In 1998 due to major problems with the building, the congregation moved to a larger location at 795 West Peckham Lane. Church member and local theater patron Moya Lear bought the building that year and donated it to the Reno-Sparks Theater Community Coalition, which renamed it the Lear Theater.