| 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.
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The chapel's original bell, "Old Aggie," was added in 1892, but has since been replaced by 44 carillon bells.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]