Chapel Hill
A windowless brick cylinder where light cascades onto a white marble altar.
The MIT Chapel, dedicated in 1955 and completed in 1956, stands as a non-denominational sanctuary designed by Eero Saarinen on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Situated next to Kresge Auditorium and the Kresge Oval—both also designed by Saarinen—the building is celebrated as a successful example of mid-century modern architecture in the United States. Despite its small footprint, the chapel creates a profound sense of isolation from the adjacent noise through thoughtful landscaping and architectural form. The site features two groves of London plane trees and a long wall to the east, all designed by Saarinen to provide a uniform background that shields the interior space.
- Location
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Primary Venue History
- MIT Campus (next to Kresge Auditorium)
- Key Era
- 1955–1956 (Original), 2014–2015 (Renovation)
- Significance
- Mid-century modern architecture and site of a historic 1970 electronic music per
- Fan Association
- Ned Lagin, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The exterior presents as a simple, windowless brick cylinder with a diameter of 50 feet and a height of 30 feet, set within a very shallow concrete moat. Rough, imperfect bricks were selected to create a textured effect, supported by low arches and topped by an aluminum spire. Inside, the walls undulate in brick, leading the eye to a full-height metal sculpture by Harry Bertoia that glitters like a cascade of light from a circular skylight down to a small, unadorned marble altar. Natural light filters upward through shallow slits in the walls, catching rippling reflections from the moat below to create dim ambient lighting complemented by artificial sources. The curving spire and bell tower were designed by sculptor Theodore Roszak and added in 1956.
In Their Own Story
In May 1970, musician Ned Lagin performed an eight-channel, four-tape-recorder electronic music piece created specifically for the chapel's unique acoustics. The performance took place in the presence of Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart. During the event, Hart passed out, but the experience proved pivotal; following the show, Garcia and Lesh invited Lagin to join the Grateful Dead in California. The space also houses an excellent pipe organ custom-designed for the room by Walter Holtkamp of the Holtkamp Organ Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Architectural historian Leland M. Roth later highlighted this manipulation of light focusing on the blazingly white marble altar as a creation of "mystic quiet," contrasting Saarinen's approach with that of Mies van der Rohe.
Reader's Guide
The MIT Chapel underwent its first comprehensive renovation since original construction in the summer of 2014. This project included rebuilding the moat to repair leaks and allow for recirculated, filtered water, repairing the external envelope, and restoring internal mechanical systems. The chapel reopened in 2015. With the demolition of nearby Bexley Hall and its replacement by a landscaped garden, the site became more visible from Massachusetts Avenue for the first time. Visitors can now find this sanctuary of tranquility just steps from the bustling 77 Massachusetts Avenue entrance to the Infinite Corridor, as well as near Kresge Auditorium and the Stratton Student Center.
Did You Know?
- The chapel is a windowless brick cylinder that is exactly 50 feet in diameter and 30 feet high.
- Sculptor Theodore Roszak designed the curving spire and bell tower, which were added in 1956.
- In May 1970, Mickey Hart passed out during an electronic music performance by Ned Lagin held inside the chapel.
- The shallow concrete moat was rebuilt in 2014 to fix leaks and install a water recirculation system.
- Walter Holtkamp custom-designed the pipe organ specifically for this space while based in Cleveland, Ohio.
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