The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Chapel

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Chapel (detail of interior, mural of Christ), Quincy University

Institution Name: Quincy University
Original/Historic Place Name: Chapel
Location on Campus: Francis Hall
Date(s) of Construction:

1910-1912

original construction Wolff, Anselm

Designer: Anselm Wolff
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Romanesque revival, Other (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, culture, religion
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: limestone

Walls: steel and buff vitrified brick

Roof: slate

Function:

ca. 1910-present (2006)

chapel

Narrative:
The current Chapel, constructed between 1910-1912 by local German craftsmen, was designed by Br. Anselm Wolff, OFM, who was not trained as an architect. Romanesque style construction allowed for beautiful stained glass windows and a generous use of marble throughout (altar, altar steps, Stations of the Cross). Originally, frescoes decorated the walls; but by the 1950s the plaster was so damaged by dampness from the walls and leaks from the roof that the entire chapel had to be renovated. The renovation was done by Rev. Thomas Moore Brown, OFM, who was an artist and professor of art at the university. To carry out the artistic theme suggested by Romanesque architecture, Fr. Brown created new frescoes in the Byzantine style. It should also be noted that Br. Wolff died before the Chapel was finished, and a Br. Pamphilus Schmitz, OFM, worked to finish the construction.

The Chapel is used daily for Mass, concerts, weddings, and other events, including an academic convocation to welcome incoming freshmen each fall. The Chapel is open almost 24/7 and is used not only by the university but by the Quincy community at large.

References:

Jubilee: Saint Francis Solanus College, Quincy, Illinois: April Twenty-Eighth to July Eleventh, Nineteen Twelve: A Keepsake for Alumni, Friends, and Students. Booklet. [Quincy, IL: s.n.], 1912.