Holden Chapel
Encyclopedia
Holden Chapel is a small building in Harvard Yard
on the campus of Harvard University
. Completed in 1744, it is the third oldest building at Harvard and one of the oldest college buildings in America.
, offered Harvard a 400 pound sterling
donation towards the construction of a chapel
on campus, prompted by a suggestion from Thomas Hutchinson. After additional funds were raised, the chapel opened in March 1745. From 1744 to 1772 (except for 1767-68) the chapel housed morning and evening prayers for the Harvard student body, as well providing space for some secular uses such as lectures. After the 1783 establishment of the Harvard Medical School
, the building was used by its founder, John Warren
, on a regular basis for 19 years, and intermittently by him and others thereafter until 1825.
For much of the 20th century, Holden Chapel housed the student offices of the Harvard Glee Club
and later the Radcliffe Choral Society
and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
, which collectively came to be known as the Holden Choirs. The chapel was remodeled in 1999 to serve as both a classroom and a musical rehearsal and performance space. Though no longer housing the Holden Choirs' offices, Holden Chapel now serves as their primary rehearsal space.
Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard is a grassy area of about , adjacent to Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that constitutes the oldest part and the center of the campus of Harvard University...
on the campus of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Completed in 1744, it is the third oldest building at Harvard and one of the oldest college buildings in America.
Early history
In December 1741, Mrs. Samuel Holden, the widow of a former Governor of the Bank of EnglandGovernor of the Bank of England
The Governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the Bank, with the incumbent grooming his or her successor...
, offered Harvard a 400 pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
donation towards the construction of a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
on campus, prompted by a suggestion from Thomas Hutchinson. After additional funds were raised, the chapel opened in March 1745. From 1744 to 1772 (except for 1767-68) the chapel housed morning and evening prayers for the Harvard student body, as well providing space for some secular uses such as lectures. After the 1783 establishment of the Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, the building was used by its founder, John Warren
John Warren (surgeon)
John Warren was a Continental Army surgeon during the American Revolutionary War, founder of the Harvard Medical School and the younger brother of Joseph Warren.-Early life:...
, on a regular basis for 19 years, and intermittently by him and others thereafter until 1825.
20th/21st century
In the 1930s, Holden Chapel (and Hollis Hall) were chosen by the Historical American Buildings Survey Commission as two of the finest examples of early Colonial architecture in MassachusettsFor much of the 20th century, Holden Chapel housed the student offices of the Harvard Glee Club
Harvard Glee Club
The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the US. The Glee Club is part of the Holden Choruses of Harvard University, which also include the...
and later the Radcliffe Choral Society
Radcliffe Choral Society
The Radcliffe Choral Society is a 60-voice all-female choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1899, it is one of the country's oldest women's chorus and one of its most prominent collegiate choirs. With the all-male Harvard Glee Club and the mixed-voice Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium...
and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
The Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum is a mixed chorus at Harvard University, composed of roughly 60 voices, drawing from both the undergraduate and graduate student populations...
, which collectively came to be known as the Holden Choirs. The chapel was remodeled in 1999 to serve as both a classroom and a musical rehearsal and performance space. Though no longer housing the Holden Choirs' offices, Holden Chapel now serves as their primary rehearsal space.
External links
- Audio tour of Harvard from the university's website, including a tour map and brief details about Holden Chapel
- The Holden Choirs from the university's website