[MassHistPres] UMass Old Chapel on National Register

[Joseph Larson]

News from Preserve UMass
Contact: Joseph Larson

 
413-256-8256

 
Cell: 413-530-0829     

UMass Amherst's Old Chapel Placed on National Register of Historic Places

 

Amherst, June 3, 2015.  The 1885 Old Chapel, iconic image of the University
of Massachusetts Amherst campus, was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places by the U. S. National Park Service on May 11, 2015,
according to information received from the Massachusetts Historical
Commission and a posting on the Park Service's National Register web site.
"The Old Chapel is the first UMass building placed on the nation's list of
the most important buildings and landscapes" according to Max Page, UMass
Professor of Architecture and Design and Director of Preservation
Initiatives in the Department of Architecture.

 

The nomination of Old Chapel to the National Register was first drafted and
submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) in August 2014 by
the private historic preservation organization Preserve UMass (PUMA). UMass
Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy supported the nomination as one of the
projects he undertook to mark the 150th Anniversary of the University.

 

Designed by prolific Massachusetts Architect Philip Carpenter Earle, the
building is a richly detailed and beautifully preserved example of the
Richardsonian Romanesque style. The first floor initially served as the
library for the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now UMass Amherst) and
the second floor as an auditorium for academic meetings and public
performances.  After a new campus library building was built in 1936, the
first floor was re-purposed to provide class rooms and academic offices, but
the second floor auditorium retained its original roles. Today it remains
almost intact with its vaulted, beamed ceiling and most of its original
features.

 

In 1999 a complete renovation was done to the Chapel exterior when the clock
and bell tower was found to be unsound. Great care was taken by the Project
Manager, UMass alumnus, Richard Nathhorst, to return the exterior to its
original appearance, going so far as to replace broken granite stones with
stone from the original source, a quarry site in Pelham, Mass. still owned
by the university. As part of the renovation Nathhorst arranged to have the
original 10 carillon bells re-cast in the Netherlands and increased in
number to 42. The separate tower bell, "Old Aggie", originally hung in 1892,
was restocked as a swinging bell and remains in service.

 

"Chancellor Subbaswamy deserves the credit for putting the Old Chapel on the
National Register" says Professor Emeritus Joseph S. Larson, Corresponding
Secretary of PUMA. "He recognized the significance of this building when he
arrived on the campus and became determined to see it put back in service
after being closed since 1996.  In addition to his endorsement, the
Chancellor has secured funds to renovate the interior of the Chapel to meet
current building codes and serve today's needs on the campus." Larson adds
"We are also grateful to the staff of the Massachusetts Historical
Commission who took our draft, did more research on the architecture and
history of the Chapel, and put it in final form to meet the standards of the
Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Park Service."

 

Work on the interior renovation of the Chapel has started. The first floor
will become a place for small meetings and displays by students, faculty,
staff, and campus organizations. The second floor will be renovated to its
original appearance and used for special meetings and events. A new practice
carillon has already been acquired for the building so that students can
take instruction and eventually play the 42 bell tower carillon itself.

 

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