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The History of
The Kirkpatrick
Chapel
When the Sophia Astley Kirkpatrick Memorial Chapel was constructed in 1873, its young architect, Henry Janeway Hardenbergh just then starting a most distinguished career, designed it to accommodate both the Chapel and the Library of the College.
 
The original building, dedicated on December 3, 1873, served in this dual capacity until the Voorhees Library was opened in 1903. Henry Janeway Hardenbergh was the great-great grandson of Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, the First President of Rutgers College. Hardenbergh went on to design such distinguished structures as,
the lavish Waldorf Hotel (1893; destr. 1931) and Astoria Hotel (1896; destr. 1931), the Dakota Building on Central Park and most notably the New York Plaza Hotel which established him as a leading architect for luxurious Edwardian hotels. For more Hardenbergh buildings click on this link :Hardenbergh Data Base For an article describing Hardenbergh's life click on this link: Castles In The Air
The chapel was built in memory of Sophia Astley Kirkpatrick (pictured above) of New Brunswick, New Jersey, wife of Littleton Kirkpatrick, trustee of Rutgers College from 1841-1859. Rutgers College was made a residuary legatee of her estate and the chapel was funded by her gift of $61,054.57. This marked the first time in New Jersey history that an institution became heir to an estate.
The New Jersey Historic Trust notes that the chapel, “is an excellent example of High Victorian Gothic ecclesiastical architecture…and the chapel’s stained glass windows contain some of the first opalescent and multicolored sheet glass manufactured in America.” Additionally, three of the windows on the east side of the chapel (seen below) are from the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany and date back to the late 19th century.
 
For about the first fifty years of the chapel’s life, it was used for daily worship services for the men of Rutgers College. As the years passed by the chapel was used for other special events, such as lectures, programs and classes, and less often for regular worship services.
At the time of the one-hundred fiftieth anniversary of the college in 1916 it was decided to enlarge the Chapel so that the whole interior could be available for the purpose of student worship. The architectural designs for theses changes were made by the original architect. The modifications included a new chancel, two properly designed organ chambers and a new window, “Jesus, the Teacher of the Ages”, (seen below) given by Henry Hardenbergh.
The Hardenbergh family funded all these changes in the memory of Dr. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, their great-great grandfather and first president of Rutgers College.(pictured below)
At the time of this major renovation, an organ was also designed and built for the particular needs of the Chapel. Under the supervision of the Director of Music at that time, Howard D. McKinney (RC ’03), and with the advice of T. Tertius Noble, the famous English organist who had just been called to St. Thomas Church in New York, an organ, Opus 255, was built by the Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston. This three-manual, thirty-two rank instrument, which received the personal attention of Mr. Skinner, then the leading figure in American organ building, was beautifully voiced according to the standards of that period and was dedicated by Dr. Nobel at a recital on April 12, 1917. The organ was presented by Mrs. William J. Wright of Boston in memory of her father, George Buckham, Esq., class of 1832.
In 1957, the organ was updated to suit the new tonal tastes of the time, while maintaining the fundamental characteristics of the instrument built nearly fifty years previous by Mr. Skinner. The updated specifications were created by David A. Drinkwater, Organist of the Chapel, Joseph S. Whiteford, tonal director of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, and a committee from the University. The new instrument, Opus 255-C, was dedicated in 1961 and built by the same company that originally installed it in 1917.
For Chapel availability,
fees, etc. please contact during business hours 9:00am-4:00pm Monday-Friday:
Patrick Cogan, Operations Manager at (732) 932-7808 or email: pcogan@rci.rutgers.edu
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