Evans Memorial Chapel facts for kids
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Evans Memorial Chapel
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The chapel in 2022
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 Location in Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Location | University of Denver campus, Denver, Colorado |
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| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| Built | 1878 (moved 1959–1960) |
| Architectural style | Early Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000567 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 27, 1974 |
| Designated NHL | 1988 |
The Evans Memorial Chapel is a very old and special building on the University of Denver campus in Colorado. It's the oldest building in Denver that has been used for religious purposes without stopping.
The chapel was finished in 1878. It was built thanks to John Evans, who was a governor of the Colorado Territory. He wanted to honor his daughter, Josephine, who had passed away. John Evans also helped start the Colorado Seminary, which later became the University of Denver.
The chapel used to be part of Grace Church in downtown Denver. It's a small building designed in the Gothic Revival style, which looks like old European churches. In 1959, the chapel was carefully moved to the University of Denver campus. It opened again in April 1960 and is now the oldest building there. Today, it's used for many different religious services and is a popular place for weddings.
History of the Chapel
John Evans was a former governor of the Territory of Colorado. He helped create both Northwestern University and the Colorado Seminary. Both were Methodist Episcopal colleges. The Colorado Seminary later became the University of Denver.
In 1873, Evans gave money to build a new chapel. This chapel grew from a Sunday school he supported. He also started collecting donations to build this chapel to remember his daughter, Josephine. She had passed away in 1868 when she was only 24 years old.
The chapel cost about $13,000 to build. It was finished in 1878. John Evans's friend, Bishop Matthew Simpson, officially opened the Evans Memorial Chapel on October 10, 1878. The chapel was located on West 13th and Bannock in Denver. It was one of five Methodist churches in downtown Denver that grew a lot before 1890. Many important Denver leaders went to the chapel for their worship services.
Elizabeth Iliff, whose husband John Wesley Iliff had passed away, used his money to start the Iliff School of Theology. This school became part of the University of Denver. Elizabeth later married Henry White Warren, an important Methodist bishop. They were married in the Evans Chapel on December 27, 1883.
Horato S. Hilton was the chapel's first pastor. Later, Henry A. Buchtel became a pastor there in 1886. Buchtel later became the chancellor of the University of Denver and even a state governor of Colorado.
Another minister, Gilbert De La Matyr, led the chapel's group of members starting in 1886. At that time, there were 183 members. By 1889, when he left, there were 234 members. He preached a sermon in 1888 about needing more space for the growing number of people.
Because of this, a new, larger building was constructed next to the chapel. It cost $85,000 and was paid for by donations. This bigger building was called Grace Church. It was also made of red sandstone, like the chapel, but it was much larger and had a tall spire.
The Grace Church congregation grew to 900 members at one point. However, by 1912, it had shrunk to 385. The church tried to connect more with the changing community. By 1922, the congregation grew again to 1,003 members. But later, the numbers went down again.
The Grace Church Methodist group moved to a new location in 1953. The Evans Chapel and Grace Church buildings were then sold to another church group. This group used the buildings from 1953 to 1958.
Moving to the University
In 1958, the University of Denver bought the old Grace Church property, which included the chapel. The university wanted to tear down both buildings to make a parking lot for its law school.
However, Martin Rist, who was the President of the Rocky Mountain Methodist Historical Society, found out about the plans. He asked the university's chancellor, Chester M. Alter, to save the chapel. Chancellor Alter liked the idea and wrote an article called "Let's Save the Chapel!"
Moving the chapel was paid for by a donation from John Evans, who was the grandson of the original John Evans. Other members of the Evans family also helped. The new spot for the chapel was chosen to be west of Mary Reed Library.
The larger Grace Church building was too big to move, so it was taken down. The original chapel was smaller, but still too heavy to move in one piece. It weighed 427 tons! So, the chapel was carefully taken apart, piece by piece. Each piece was marked. Then, all the pieces were moved about six miles to the university campus. This cost $80,000.
It took four months to put the chapel back together. On April 22, 1960, there was a special ceremony to celebrate its reopening. The chapel was set up again as a "Protestant center on the campus."
The area around the chapel was turned into a garden in 1964. This garden, called the Harper Memorial Garden, used some of the leftover stone from the chapel's move and from the demolished Grace Church. In 1983, another chapel on campus was destroyed by fire. The Evans Chapel then took over many of its duties.
The chapel was named a landmark by the City and County of Denver in 1969. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Then, in 1988, it was named a National Historic Landmark. Today, it hosts Masses for Catholic students and other religious events. It's also a very popular place for weddings.
Chapel Design
The Evans Memorial Chapel is a fairly small building. Its outside walls are made of rough-cut red sandstone from Colorado. The chapel's group of members quickly grew too big for the building. It was about 40 feet wide, 50 feet long, and 40 feet tall. It could seat 64 people, plus a 12-person choir. That's why the larger Grace Church was built next to it.
The chapel is an example of early Gothic Revival architecture. This style looks like churches from the west of France. The chapel has one main room that runs from east to west. At the west end, there's an eight-sided apse (a rounded or angled part of a church). The choir area is below the east window. The main door is on the south wall, with a small entrance room called a vestibule. The ceiling has fancy wooden designs called open tracery.
In 1967, a survey said the building was in "excellent" condition. Some damaged parts had been replaced, including a stone cross that came from the demolished Grace Church. A pipe organ was added in 1965.
The chapel's stained glass windows were also moved to the University of Denver campus. In 2022, some of the stained glass was taken out to be fixed because it was old and had been poorly repaired before. Broken or missing pieces were replaced. However, some pieces that didn't quite match were kept because they are part of the chapel's history. The lead used for repairs was from the same time period as the original windows. The window repairs were expected to be finished in 2023.
When the Evans Memorial Chapel was moved and rebuilt, people tried hard to keep its original look and parts. But some changes were made over time. For example, a stage was added and then removed before 1945. Also, damaged parts of the stone walls were replaced.
Images for kids
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Skyline view of Grace Church (center) with Evans Chapel partially hidden, around 1910
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Grace Church and Evans Chapel together
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The chapel shortly before it was moved
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Stained glass window showing Ruth in Evans Memorial Chapel
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Inside the chapel, showing the altar, 2021
See also
In Spanish: Capilla Conmemorativa Evans para niños
- National Register of Historic Places listings in southeast Denver
- Chamberlin Observatory
- St. Vrain Church of the Brethren
- South Denver, Colorado, a Methodist community co-established by John Evans at the current site of chapel
- University, Denver
