Conclusion
Far from being an outdated relic of a time when daily Chapel was required, the
current Chapel is a testimony to a more recent, freer expression of Princeton faith
that began under the direction of President Hibben who abolished required daily
attendance. Summoning the talents of sculptors, artists and builders under
direction of Ralph Adams Cram, Princeton drew on its venerable past to erect
a Chapel that would compel students to enter on their own accord. It was
constructed so that “all who with troubled hearts and minds [could] here
seek comfort and healing," 35 and to marshal a sweeping visual argument for
faith, prodding students, staff and visitors to question whether
there is more to the world than meets the materialist eye.
Articles on the Chapel:
Sara Bush
Alexander Leitch
Matthew J. Milliner
Steven Warneck
Additional Web Resources:
Ralph Adams Cram's article on Gothic Architecture in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Princeton's interactive campus history.
Audio/visual lecture on Cram by Douglass Shand-Tucci at the Boston Atheneaum.
The Chapel's Wikipedia page
Suggestions for Further Reading:
University Chapel: The exhaustive guide remains Richard Stillwell's The Chapel of Princeton University (1971).
Princeton Religious History: William K. Selden's booklet Chapels of Princeton University (2005) is an informative overview.
Princeton General History: For the beginnings through Wilson consult Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker's Princeton 1746-1896 (1946) and for later years consult James Axtell's The Making of Princeton University: From Woodrow Wilson to the Present (2006).
Princeton Architecture: Consult Raymond P. Rhinehart's Princeton University: The Campus Guide (1999).
Ralph Adams Cram: Ethan Anthony's
The Architecture of Ralph Adams Cram and His Office (2007) is an informative catalog of Cram's varied accomplishments.
