Old Chapel (Amherst, Massachusetts) Explained

Old Chapel
Map Alt:Location of Old Chapel within Massachusetts
Coordinates:42.389°N -72.528°W
Location:Amherst, Massachusetts
Built:1884–1887
Architect:Stephen C. Earle, Worcester
Architecture:Richardsonian Romanesque
Added:May 11, 2015
Refnum:15000211

Old Chapel, formerly known as the Old Chapel Library, is a former library on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Old Chapel was originally constructed in Richardson Romanesque-style between 1884 and 1887 at a cost of $ (equivalent to $ in today's dollars), to serve as a library, museum, and assembly hall.[1] The building was designed by Worcester architect Stephen C. Earle, and is a roughly square stone structure with a tower at its southeast corner. It is made primarily of granite, with sandstone trim and a slate roof. The tower features an open belfry with rounded arches, above which are gabled peaks with clock faces, and a diagonally set four-sided steeple at the top.[2]

According to the school, John F. Kennedy supposedly spoke at the Chapel during his 1952 U.S. Senate campaign,[3] although this has never been confirmed.

The chapel's original bell, "Old Aggie," was added in 1892, but has since been replaced by 44 carillon bells. Although the tower underwent a $1.65 million renovation in 1999, Old Chapel has been uninhabited since 1996, when the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band moved out due to unsafe conditions within the structure. Since then, a movement amongst alumni was created to further renovate the interior of the building so that the structure could be used again.

Restoration of Old Chapel began in 2015 after a 2013 campaign by Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy to restore and repurpose the interior of the structure.[4] This included a nomination by Preserve UMass to place the structure on the National Register of Historic Places, which occurred on May 11, 2015.[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Phillis. Michael. Old Chapel UMass' lone national registry of historic places qualifier. 5 June 2015. The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. 4 December 2009.
  2. Web site: MACRIS inventory record for UMass Department of Music. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2015-05-26.
  3. News: Welcome to the (unofficial) University of Massachusetts at Amherst Old Chapel Library Homepage. 5 June 2015. University of Massachusetts Amherst. 2000.
  4. News: Restore Old Chapel. 5 June 2015. University of Massachusetts Amherst.
  5. News: Lederman. Diane. Old Chapel at UMass now on National Register of Historic Places. 5 June 2015. The Republican. 4 June 2015.