Overview
Elliot Church of Newton is located at 474 Centre Street on the corner of Centre Street and Church Street in Newton Corner near the Newton Plaza Hotel Boston over the Massachusetts Turnpike rotary at Exit 17. The building is handicap accessible with ramps, an elevator, and handicap bathrooms. The lighting in the church is often bright during the day, but by 3:30pm, the winter light will be fading and we will likely use lighting. For those with sensory sensitivities, it will be fairly loud at times during the concert, and possibly before the concert starts depending on how animated the audience is.
Parking and access by MBTA
Parking in the church lot off Church Street is limited, but does have several designated handicap parking spaces. In addition, there is plenty of parking on the streets around Eliot Church. There is metered parking in the Richardson Street municipal parking lot across from the front of Eliot Church.
Eliot Church can be reached by the MBTA 57 Kenmore Station bus. Express buses stop at 400 Centre Street, a three-minute walk to the church. Buses do not run on Sundays.
The nearest MBTA train station is Newton Center on the Green-D line about two miles from Eliot Church further up Centre Street. From here you can walk, or take the MBTA 52 Watertown Yard bus that stops at 400 Centre Street. Buses do not run on Sundays.
Accessible entrances
There are several handicap parking spaces in the parking lot. There are two accessible ramps at either side of the building. Looking from the parking lot, the ramp on the north (or right) side brings you to the same floor as the sanctuary where the concert will be held. In most cases, this entrance would be the best way to get in to the church for wheelchair users.
Entrances via steps and walking
Audience members may use either the formal doors of the church at 474 Centre Street or the entrance from the parking lot behind the church off of Church Street.
For the front entrance, there are four steps going up to the doors to the ticketing area in the narthex just outside the sanctuary where the performance is held. The distance between the sanctuary and the street is about 60 feet. If you enter on the east side via the parking lot, there is a single step going up to the door, and seven steps inside the building to access the church’s main level. The sanctuary is straight down the hallway, and the restrooms will be on the right side as you walk down the hallway. The total walking distance to the sanctuary from the parking lot is about 120 feet.
Restrooms
A family, accessible restroom and a women’s restroom are located on the same level as the sanctuary. The men’s restrooms and another family bathroom are downstairs one level.
Sanctuary
Eliot Church has traditional pew seating. Wheelchair users may speak with ushers about accessible seating, especially for those audience members who purchased priority seating tickets for the first several rows of seating. The pews have space for wheelchair users on either side of the church facing the performance. For those who wish to sit in the pews, the right side facing the performance would be closer to amenities. Upon request, we will provide braille copies of the program to our audience members. Please see the box office volunteers for a copy.
There is also a balcony that cannot be accessed except via stairs located at the back of the sanctuary. The lighting in the sanctuary balcony is low and may cause difficulty for those who have visual impairments.
Weather conditions
On the weekend of January 27, we anticipate the weather will be cold.