Duke University. Chapel

Sermons were delivered at religious and ceremonial services in the Duke University Chapel by various ministers, professors, and guests of the University. Notable speakers include Howard Wilkinson, James Cleland, Waldo Beach, Thor Hall, Charlene Kammerer, Jon Laidlaw, Robert Young and others.

When James B. Duke selected the site for Duke University's West Campus, in 1925, he chose to locate the Chapel on the site's highest ridge. The Chapel was the first building planned for the new campus, but the last one to be completed. Construction started in 1930, was completed in 1935, and cost nearly $2.3 million. The Chapel began to be used before its stained-glass windows and other details were finished; commencement was held in the Chapel in 1932. The Chapel was officially dedicated in 1935.

History adopted from Duke Chapel website: http://www.chapel.duke.edu/home/.

When James B. Duke selected the site for Duke University's West Campus, in 1925, he chose to locate the Chapel on the site's highest ridge. The Chapel was the first building planned for the new campus, but the last one to be completed. Construction started in 1930, was completed in 1935, and cost nearly $2.3 million. The Chapel began to be used before its stained-glass windows and other details were finished; commencement was held in the Chapel in 1932. The Chapel was officially dedicated in 1935.

The Chapel fulfills James B. Duke's desire that the building exert a profound influence on the lives of the young women and men who attend the University. Duke Chapel is a nationally recognized pulpit, an acclaimed center of sacred music, and a place of learning and interfaith cooperation. Duke University Chapel's ever-widening ministry includes worship through prayer, word, and music; service within the University and community; celebration through concerts, special services, and festivals; and learning seminars, study groups, and retreats. The day-to-day ministry of the Chapel is shared with a wide and diverse community: students, faculty, staff, and the community; tourists and travelers; and patients, their families, and caregivers. Chapel life encompasses a variety of groups including Religious Life, Friends of the Chapel, Congregation, and Student Ministry. Duke Chapel is also the site of various concerts, voice and organ recitals, choir and carillon programs, and vesper ensembles.