Timmons Chapel
dedicated October 2, 1966
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Richard N. Wakefield, Architect
Kansas City, Missouri
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Country English Gothic Architecture
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The Chapel of all Faiths is a gift of Mrs.
L. K. Timmons of Pittsburg. The children of Mrs. Timmons presented
the organ and bells. The Chapel is visualized as a sanctuary, a quiet
place for meditation or prayer, for weddings, small religious services,
memorials or baptisms. It is hoped that the Chapel will be used happily
and helpfully by all religious sects, that it will become well-worn
through regular usage, and that in time, it will grow to become a
significant part of College life.
Built on concrete piers set well below
lake level, the Chapel walls of native limestone are built in the
Ashler pattern of masonry. The walls are eighteen inches thick. White
Bedford stone is used for the water table, trim and inside quoining.
The Vermont slate which forms the roof
weighs more than 80,000 pounds. They range up to one and one-half
inches in thickness and weigh two to sixty pounds each. Overlapping
to a thickness of as much as three inches in places, the slates are
of seven different colors interspersed with "freaks" or
multi-colored stones. They are secured with 2-inch copper nails. Wire
snow guards are to be used to prevent ice build-up on the roof.
The bronze bells in the tower were cast
for the chapel in Asten, Holland. The are tuned to 440 pitch and are:
G#, 154 pounds; A#, 110 pounds; and C#, 79 pounds. The relief design
on the bells depicts the wedding of Canaan.
The spire and cap of lead-coated copper
are set on Bedford stone. Exposed metals throughout the building are
copper or bronze.
Hand-carved solid oak doors provide entrance
to the Chapel. Inside, a matching oak screen, topped by the traditional
pineapple signifying welcome and hospitality, seperates the narthex
from the nave.
Crab Orchard quartzite, quarried in Tennessee
has been used for the floor. The stone is known for its many and varied
shades and markings.
The windows of the Timmons Chapel were
designed by Ronald N. Dixon, a young Irish artist who is a graduate
of Belfast College of Art and is one of the recipients of the highest
scholastic award in Great Britain in design of stained glass windows.
The Chapel windows are made of faceted French glass held together
by a poured epoxy resin. The chemically-instituted coloration in the
substance of the molten glass makes painting unnecessary. The lancet
window depicts the Creation. The Hand of God protrudes through the
clouds to pour life-giving light rays downward upon the World. The
Rose window in the narthex has a sparking, jewel-like quality, an
effect which is achieved by the use of small pieces of glass which
are chipped in the surface. The window represents beauty through music
and song with the harp's strings. The side windows are of stained,
leaded glass.
Chapel music is provided by a five-rank,
Wicks pipe organ. The 341 pipes are concealed in the organ loft.
The Chapel's chandeliers were hand-made
in California. They weigh 125 pounds each.
The red cedar deck supported by solid beams
of Douglas fir are products of Oregon.
Nine wedding rings, fashioned into the
altar rail, are symbolic of one of the Chapel's more important functions.
The altar cross in the chancel area is
a St. John's Celtic Cross of antique brass mounted on an Iona Marble
base. It is an authentic reproduction of the ancient stone crosses
still standing on the Island of Iona, off the coast of Scottland.
Created by Celtic craftsmen, this faithful replica was imported from
the land where Christianity was flourishing more than one thousand
years ago. The cross is portable and may be removed as desired.
Very fine grain white oak used in the
Chapel candlesticks is from a shipment of unclaimed lumber unloaded
beside the railroad at Girard, probably about 1855. The wood was
used as a barn floor for more than 75 years before being purchased
by Albert Mouthuy in 1939.
The small garden on the lake side of the
Chapel, traditionally known as a garth, sets the atmosphere for meditation.
Francisis of Assisi, patron saint of natural wild life stands here.
The antique stone from which the statue is carved comes from Connecticut.
from a brochure printed for the dedication
of the Chapel
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Map
Virtual
Tour
Miniature
Chapel
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