| St.Vincent de Paul Chapel |
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Name: St. Vincent de Paul Chapel.
Date: 1949, renovated 1991.
Architect: Murphy & Locraft
Elevation: 176.27'
Use: University chapel
Style: Colonial Revival with minimal art deco ornament.
Composition: Rectilinear
Size: One story plus balcony.
Gross square footage— 7,276.
Net square footage—6,029.
Materials: Red brick
Trim: Limestone flanking entry including columns and pediment with bas relief multi-crest design.
Roof: Gable
Windows: White enamel finish aluminum replacement sash with a few original wood windows.
Doors: Raised central entry has twin curved stairways with iron railings and double multilight wood doors. Central doorway has a recessed porch.
Note: Chapel is the central element in a four-residence complex.
Setting: Chapel is flanked and connected by covered passageways to Regan and Ryan halls (also built in the 1940s). In front of those two residential structures are Millennium North and South facing John McCormack Road, N.E., forming an entry court to the chapel. Entrance faces east toward the road between Millennium North and South. There are foundation plantings and lawn surrounding the chapel. In front of the entrance is a statue of St. Vincent on a 4'-6" base in memory of Bruce M. Mohler (1881–1967), who donated the funds to have the statue moved to this site.
Architecture: St. Vincent de Paul Chapel was built in a Colonial Revival style, with an almost Art Deco simplicity of materials. It is a classic, symmetrical, religious building of its mid-20th-century period. The trim is relatively flush and based on geometric changes such as the recessed entry porch. Limestone lines the porch area as it cuts in from the brick facade. A pair of limestone columns in the porch support the gable end which has bas relief ornament. The interior is of Colonial Revival simplicity, complete with brass, hanging candelabra-type light fixtures. The main visual axis at the far end of the chapel is a magnificent wooden pipe organ (acquired and maintained by the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music). On either side of the altar end of the chapel are enclosed walkways connecting the flanking residential structures.
History: The chapel was built in 1949 and originally was intended to serve as a chapel for women, as were several of the nearby residence halls. It now serves the university with moveable chairs and a forward projecting altar consistent with changes in liturgy.
Significance: St. Vincent de Paul Chapel is a purposebuilt university chapel that continues its original role. Though a number of chapels were built on the campus, this is the only free-standing such structure. It also serves the school of music. Key to the importance of the chapel is its planned, symmetrical relationship to the four flanking residence halls. This is an important formal composition relating to both the mid-20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. The chapel is also a visible reminder of the role this university plays in national Catholic culture and education. The chapel is one of several contributing campus structures by the Murphy & Locraft.
Condition: The chapel’s heating system needs to replaced and central air conditioning installed. In 1991 a partial renovation included the addition of accessibility features,the replacement of furnishings, lighting and windows, and a fire alarm system upgrade.
Floor Plan
Last Revised 30-Sep-05 11:15 AM.
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