St. Paul's Chapel (Columbia University)
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's Chapel is the chapel of Columbia University
in New York City
. Designed and built from 1904 to 1907 by I. N. Phelps Stokes of the architectural firm Howells & Stokes
in an elaborate mixture of Italian Renaissance
, Byzantine
, and Gothic
styles, its interior features Guastavino tile
vaulting in intricate patterns of aged red brick. Three stained glass
windows by John La Farge adorn the apse
. St. Paul's Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ is renowned for its fine tone. The chapel contains an Altar for Peace by George Nakashima
, a wooden table with natural edges in his signature style. St. Paul's is referred to as "Columbia's most spectacular building" in the Eyewitness Guide to New York and is a New York City Landmark.
The chapel was the first building on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus that was not designed by McKim, Mead, and White
.
Many religious groups use the chapel throughout the week for their meetings. Several non-religious student groups also use the chapel. The most notable of these are the student magazine The Blue and White
and the Postcrypt Coffeehouse
, a folk music venue featuring live music weekly. The basement of the chapel houses the Postcrypt Art Gallery. At commencement, the university uses St. Paul's for a Baccalaureate Service to commemorate graduates' achievements. The chapel is also popular for weddings.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Designed and built from 1904 to 1907 by I. N. Phelps Stokes of the architectural firm Howells & Stokes
Howells & Stokes
Howells & Stokes was an American architectural firm. Founded in 1897 by John Mead Howells and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes, it designed, among other structures, St...
in an elaborate mixture of Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
, and Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
styles, its interior features Guastavino tile
Guastavino tile
Guastavino tile is the "Tile Arch System" patented in the US in 1885 by Valencian architect and builder Rafael Guastavino...
vaulting in intricate patterns of aged red brick. Three stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows by John La Farge adorn the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. St. Paul's Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ is renowned for its fine tone. The chapel contains an Altar for Peace by George Nakashima
George Nakashima
George Katsutoshi NakashimaGeorge Katsutoshi NakashimaGeorge Katsutoshi Nakashima( was a Japanese-American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was one of the leading innovators of 20th century furniture design and a father of the American craft movement...
, a wooden table with natural edges in his signature style. St. Paul's is referred to as "Columbia's most spectacular building" in the Eyewitness Guide to New York and is a New York City Landmark.
The chapel was the first building on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus that was not designed by McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead & White was a prominent American architectural firm at the turn of the twentieth century and in the history of American architecture. The firm's founding partners were Charles Follen McKim , William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White...
.
Many religious groups use the chapel throughout the week for their meetings. Several non-religious student groups also use the chapel. The most notable of these are the student magazine The Blue and White
The Blue and White
The Blue and White is a magazine written by undergraduates at Columbia University, New York City. Founded in 1890, the magazine has dedicated itself throughout its existence to providing students an outlet for intellectual and political discussion, literary publication, and general parody.-...
and the Postcrypt Coffeehouse
Postcrypt Coffeehouse
Postcrypt Coffeehouse is an all-acoustic music venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University in New York City, run completely by students. Founded in 1964, Postcrypt has hosted many up-and-coming folk musicians, including Jeff Buckley, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin, and Ani DiFranco...
, a folk music venue featuring live music weekly. The basement of the chapel houses the Postcrypt Art Gallery. At commencement, the university uses St. Paul's for a Baccalaureate Service to commemorate graduates' achievements. The chapel is also popular for weddings.