MIT Chapel
Saarinen, Eero; Bertoia, Harry
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Alternative Title
Interdenominational Chapel
Date
1950-1955Description
Interior, entrance lobby; The MIT Chapel (dedicated 1955) is a non-denominational chapel. It is located on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, next to Kresge Auditorium and Kresge Oval, which Saarinen also designed. Though a small building, it is often noted as a successful example of mid-century modern architecture in the US. Saarinen also designed the landscaping surrounding all three. Leland Roth included the building in his History of American Architecture, using it to illustrate the contrast between Saarinen's approach and that of Mies (who designed a chapel for IIT). Roth said that "through the sheer manipulation of light and the its focus on a blazingly white marble altar block, Saarinen created a place of mystic quiet." The chapel's curving spire and bell tower was designed by the sculptor Theodore Roszak and was added in 1956. A full-height metal sculpture by Harry Bertoia glitters from the circular skylight down to the marble altar. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 1/10/2008)
Type of Work
chapel (room or structure); gardenSubject
architectural exteriors, meditation, prayer, worship, Mid-Century Modern, Modernist, Twentieth century
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only