St. Mary's Chapel | |
 St. Mary's Chapel, 2014 | |
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| Location | 900Hillsborough Street Raleigh,North Carolina, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°46′54″N78°39′11″W / 35.78167°N 78.65306°W /35.78167; -78.65306 |
| Built | 1855; 171 years ago (1855) |
| Architect | Richard Upjohn |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Part of | St. Mary's College |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000477[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 20, 1970 |
St. Mary's Chapel is a historicEpiscopal chapel located at 900 Hillsborough Street inRaleigh,North Carolina, United States. The chapel is on the grounds ofSt. Mary's School, a college-preparatory boarding and day school founded in 1842. The 19th-century building was designed by architectRichard Upjohn in theGothic Revival style and later expanded. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1970.
The Episcopal School for Boys, established in 1833 by theEpiscopal Diocese of North Carolina, was located on a 159-acre (64 ha) tract of land acquired from Colonel William Polk. Construction of the school buildings began in 1834, but by 1837, the school was closed due to financial problems. The property was purchased by businessman and politician Duncan Cameron, a wealthy and influential figure in Raleigh. The school was reopened on May 12, 1842, as St. Mary's School for Girls, by Cameron and Reverend Aldert Smedes, the school's firstrector and president. Religious services at St. Mary's were originally held in the parlor of Main Hall, now known as Smedes Hall. Services were later held on the first floor of historic East Rock building equipped with pews and an organ.[2]
In 1855, the Cameron family donated funds for the construction of a school chapel. Richard Upjohn, a prominent 19th century architect, was chosen to design the building. His notable works includeTrinity Church in New York City andChrist Episcopal Church in Raleigh, both of which areNational Historic Landmarks.Thomas Atkinson, the third Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina, visited the chapel for the first time in 1858 and said "I was gratified by its beauty, its appropriate arrangements, and its adaptation to its purpose."Transepts were added in 1905, though most of the chapel was left unchanged.[2] The building was designated a Raleigh Historic Landmark on June 16, 1969, and added to the NRHP on November 20, 1970.[3][4] The building is also designated acontributing property to Saint Mary's School's listing as a historic district on the NRHP.[5]
St. Mary's Chapel, a board-and-batten building with steepgable roof, was designed in the Gothic Revival style. When erected in 1856, the chapel was a rectangular building. The transepts added in 1905 gave the building acruciform shape. The chapel facade features alancet window on either side of the entrance. A hood above the entrance is supported by curvedbrackets while the hood gable features atrefoil design. Above the hood is arose window topped by alouveredquatrefoil and cruciformfinial at the roof. There are four triangular-headed lancet windows on the east and west (liturgical south and north) sides of thenave. The end of the east (liturgical south) transept is similar to the facade. Instead of a hood, this transept features a shed porch that connects to the Smedes building via a covered walkway. A large lancet window and two smaller ones are on the end of the west (liturgical north) transept. The north (liturgical east) side of the chapel features a large stained glass lancet window topped by a louvered quatrefoil.[2]
Media related toSt. Mary's Chapel (Raleigh, North Carolina) at Wikimedia Commons
