Ever Episcopal Campaign The Final Reporton the

Features
“I find it tremendously
moving that members
of my class of 1944
have become very
generous financial
contributors to this
new project.”
Class of 1944 Chapel
In 1948 Robert Venturi ’44 designed a virtual
chapel for The Episcopal Academy as his Master’s
Thesis at Princeton. Some fifty-five years later,
he designed a veritable chapel for his school’s
Newtown Square campus.
The Class of 1944 Chapel from the outset
was to be the physical and symbolic heart of
the campus. For that reason, the architect felt it
important that the building be visible from every
aspect of the site and, from a farther distance,
Route 252. Light, too, became an important
element of the design. A series of clerestories in
the ceiling were designed to create an element
of soaring toward the altar and an effective and
ever changing increase in natural light as aura
toward the sanctuary. The light wood pews were
intentionally arranged in a semi-circle, allowing
visitors to the chapel to face each other as well
as the altar, thus creating a stronger sense of
communal worship.
The Class of 1944 Chapel projects an intimacy in its quiet elegance. The open and spacious design provides seating for
900, thereby accommodating the Upper and Middle Schools together and affording more room for guests at commencement
and other major school events. Continuity is reflected in the usage of the cross that hung above the altar in Christ Chapel at
the Merion campus and the Merion organ, which has been greatly enhanced to fill the new, greater space with sound.
The Class of 1944 Chapel bears the name of a great Episcopal class. Inspired by a magnificent challenge gift from Bruce
Mainwaring ’44, an important
lead gift from the French Family,
and the loyal participation of
every member of the class, the
Class of 1944 Chapel is an
architectural expression of their
generous spirits.
—Robert Venturi ’44
9