Dome

Interior, lectern, with altar to the left; to the right glass slits in wainscot level reflects light from the moat outside; 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)