University architects, at work on final sketches of the new University Memorial Chapel, stated yesterday that these drawings will be in the hands of officials on Thursday, December 10, when it is expected that they will be made public. For the first time, details of the interior and exterior of the building have been learned.
The new chapel, which is going up rapidly in the center of the Yard, will be surmounted by a single spire rising to to a height of 200 feet, ten feet lower than the Memorial Hall tower, and dominating the Yard. The spire rises above the Memorial room from the middle point on the south side of the building, facing Widener Library.
The Spire
The square base, constructed in brick, as is the rest of the building, tapers sharply towards the top, where the material to be used is wood and darker stone or slate. A belfry in the tower will contain the large bell now used in Harvard Hall; the spire will be topped with a weather vane.
On the west end will be a portico, with four pillars. The entrance which will be in daily use is located on the south side, and east of the tower, near Sever Hall. Outside the Memorial room located under the tower, will be a second portico, also with four pillars.
Interior Arrangements
The chapel and choir will be situated at the east end of the building, and will be separated from the nave by a wooden screen. Daily services will be held in this smaller section. On Sundays the services will be conducted from the nave, while the choir will be behind the screen. The narthex, or memorial room, will be separated by two doors from the body of the chapel.
The nature of the proposed war memorial was discussed at a conference in Baltimore shortly after the close of the war, and after considerable debate the chapel form was then determined upon as the most suitable.
Construction work for the new edifice, made possible by an $800,000 fund raised by alumni, under the direction of Allston Burr '89, is in the hands of the Hegeman Harris Company.
Until the building is ready for use next Fall, daily services will be held as usual in the Faculty Room of University Hall and Sunday chapel in Sanders Theatre.
The memorial room will house a tablet bearing the names of the war dead. What action will be taken regarding commemoration of the three Harvard students who were killed fighting for the Central Powers has not been announced. The organ which was used in Appleton Chapel will be used in the new memorial.
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