Duke Chapel

Duke Chapel
General information
Type	Center of Duke's Campus
Architectural style	Collegiate Gothic
Location	West Campus, Duke University
Coordinates	36°0′5.99″N 78°56′23.32″W / 36.0016639°N 78.9398111°W / 36.0016639; -78.9398111
Completed	1935
Cost	US$2.3 million
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Julian Abele and Horace Trumbauer
Other information
Seating capacity	1800
Website
Duke Chapel website

Duke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is an ecumenical Christian chapel and the center of religion at Duke, and has connections to the United Methodist Church. Finished in 1935, the chapel seats about 1,800 people and stands 210 feet (64 m) tall, making it one of the tallest buildings in Durham County.^[1] It is built in the Collegiate Gothic style, characterized by its large stones, pointed arches, and ribbed vaults.^[2] It has a 50-bell carillon and three pipe organs, one with 5,033 pipes and another with 6,900 pipes.^[3]

The chapel stands at the center of the university, on the highest ridge of Duke University's West Campus. Although plans for a chapel were first made in April 1925, the cornerstone was not laid until October 22, 1930. When it was completed in 1935 at a cost of $2.3 million, the chapel was the last of the original buildings to be built on West Campus. It was first used during Commencement in 1932 while it was still under construction, though it would not be formally finished and dedicated until June 2, 1935.^[4] Stained-glass windows and other details were installed at a later date.^[5] The chapel was designed by Julian Abele, a noted African-American architect who designed much of Duke's west campus and who was also chief designer for the Philadelphia firm of Horace Trumbauer.^[4]

As of 2012^[update], the dean of the chapel is the Rev. Luke A. Powery.^[6] On May 11, 2015, the chapel closed for a year due to necessary restoration work on the ceiling.^[7] The chapel reopened May 11, 2016.^[8]