The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Immaculate Conception Chapel

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Immaculate Conception Chapel (exterior), Rosemont College

Immaculate Conception Chapel (interior), Rosemont College

Immaculate Conception Chapel (detail, group of stained glass windows), Rosemont College

Immaculate Conception Chapel (detail, pair of stained glass windows), Rosemont College

Institution Name: Rosemont College
Original/Historic Place Name: Immaculate Conception Chapel
Location on Campus: 1400 Montgomery Ave.
Date(s) of Construction:

1941	original construction Henry D. Dagit & Sons

Designer: Henry D. Dagit & Sons (Philadelphia)
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Gothic revival, Other (Glossary)
Significance: education
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: unknown

Walls: local Foxcroft stone trimmed with Indiana limestone

Roof: steel and concrete slabs covered with Vermont slate

Function:

1941-present (2006)

chapel

Narrative:
The architect for the Immaculate Conception Chapel was Henry D. Dagit and Sons. The builder was McCloskey & Co., both based in Philadelphia. The stained glass windows were designed and fabricated by the Willet Stained Glass Studios in Germantown, Pa. George Gugert designed the windows and Marguerite Gaudin drew the cartoons. The Sisters of the Holy Child fully participated in the choice of saints depicted.

The iconography of the stained glass windows is unique in that all the windows are of women saints who reflect strength, courage, and spirituality. They were designed to serve as sources of inspiration to the students of Rosemont College to carry Christian influence out into the world in the different walks of life in which they may find themselves.

References:

Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Rosemont College. Booklet. Rosemont, PA: Rosemont College, 2000.

Farnsworth, Jean M., Carmen R. Croce, and Joseph F. Chorpenning, eds. Stained Glass in Catholic Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA: St. Joseph University Press, 2002.