17th Church

The Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist is an iconic part of Chicago’s downtown landscape, and a piece of the city’s architectural history. The house of worship’s curvilinear facade, designed by architect Harry Weese to echo a Greek amphitheater, has gracefully marked the corner of Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue since 1968. Recognized as one of Illinois’ 200 Great Places by the American Institute of Architects Illinois, the Seventeenth Church is a modernist treasure.

When Morlights was hired to upgrade the church’s lighting and controls, both were in their original state, except for a few LED replacement lamps which yielded insufficient, lackluster illumination. The exterior lighting was mostly non-functional.

Morlights’ meticulous master plan was budgeted over a three-year completion period with minimal downtime for construction, during which the firm acted as both lighting designer and project manager. Using extensive modeling in place as well as detailed, photometrically accurate renderings to verify light levels and optics on both interior and exterior, Morlights was able to implement dramatic improvements.

Highlights of the interior architecture including the striking podium, dome and skylights were beautifully articulated and a shift to linear fixtures allowed a smooth wash of light on the lower parapet. Energy use was reduced by 50 percent. DMX controls now allow seamless adaptability. And outside, RGBW LED lighting allows the Church to join in when the city lights up its skyline in themed color, keeping this icon in conversation with its setting.

“The building is an architectural gem — but it was left out of the nighttime brilliance of the city. We were able to bring the 17th Church back to the community, back to that celebration.” — Casey Diers