Duke Chapel - Durham, NC - A Chapel Rich in Architectural Style

Located as Duke University, Duke Chapel was built between 1930 and 1935. It was actually the first building that was planned for the West Campus. In spite of being the first one planned, it was the last one completed. The chapel has a tower that is roughly 210 feet tall, and Duke Chapel is one of the tallest buildings in Durham County.

Although the chapel has connections to the United Methodist Church because of its close proximity to a United Methodist divinity school, Duke Chapel is used as an ecumenical Christian chapel. Able to seat approximately 1,600 people, the chapel has a regular Sunday attendance of about 1,000 during school semesters. Attendance typically rises to 1,500 for special occasions, and Easter services have as many as 3,500 people in attendance.

The chapel's architecture reflects the Gothic style and is characterized by its pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and large stone piers. The chapel was built with volcanic stone known as Hillsborough bluestone. The stone was purchased by Duke University and came from a quarry in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Hillsborough stones range in color and include about 17 different shades. Stones can range from slate gray to a rusty orange. The stones from the quarry were various sizes and were all cut into the same size for the construction of the chapel. The stones were made to be twice as long as they were high.

Indiana limestone was used to make the pulpit, the lectern, and for other trimmings. While the vaults of the choir are stone, the vaults and walls of the transepts and nave feature Guastavino tile. The tile helps to reduce the strain on the walls because it is lighter than stone. Guastavino's patented sound-absorbing Akoustalith tile covers the structural tile.

The entrance to the chapel features ten figures: Bishop Francis Asbury, Bishop Thomas Coke, George Whitefield, Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, Sidney Lanier, and John Wesley. All ten of these were important figures to Protestantism, Methodism, or the American South.

Duke Chapel features 77 stained glass windows. It took roughly three years for the windows to be designed and completed. Fifteen artists and craftsmen were involved in the process. Glass was imported from Belgium, England, and France, and more than 1 million pieces of glass were used to make the windows.

The chapel is home to three rather large pipe organs. Each of the organs is a different style. The Benjamin N. Duke Memorial organ is a Flentrop organ that is located in the arch that separates the nave and the narthex. Reflecting French and Dutch organ building techniques of the 18th century, the organ's main case is made of mahogany that was painted. The case extends to roughly 40 feet above the floor, and the organ is controlled by a pedal and four manual keyboards. This Flentrop organ contains over 5,000 pipes.

Installed in 1932, the Kathleen Upton Byrns McClendon Organ is lodged on both sides of the chancel and includes about 6,600 pipes. Reconditioned it 2008, this Aeolian organ is the chapel's original organ and was designed in the post-Romantic tradition. Modeled after instruments of Italian Renaissance, the Brombaugh organ resides in the Memorial Chapel. The Memorial Chapel was a separate addition to the chapel that is closed to tourists. The pipe shades of the Brombaugh organ are carved from Appalachian oak, and the Duke family crest can be seen at the top of the organ case.

During the academic year, Duke Chapel is open to visitors from 8:00am to 10:00pm. Summer hours are 8:00am-8:00pm. During holidays and breaks, the chapel is open from 8:00 to 5:00pm, but it is closed on Christmas Day. The Chapel Information Line is available 24 hours a day and can be reached by calling 919-681-1704. Guided tours are available with a reservation, and there is a parking fee of $2 per hour. The parking fee is waived on Sundays until 1:00pm.

Carillon Music can be heard from 5:00pm to 5:15pm Monday through Friday and just before and after Sunday services. Organ music is played on the Flentrop from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on most weekdays. The Chapel Attendants' Desk can be reached by calling 919-681-9488.