History and Architecture

The Princeton University Chapel By Matthew J. Milliner (Art & Archaeology department)

Introduction

“…a new meaning will be imparted to their interpretation of things unseen and eternal as they come by daily association to recognize the new Princeton Chapel as the University’s protest against the materialistic philosophy and drift of our age.” - John Grier Hibben (Princeton President, 1912-32)

“Gothic is less a method of construction than it is a mental attitude, the visualizing of a spiritual impulse.” - Ralph Adams Cram (Princeton’s first supervising architect, 1907-29)

Welcome to the Princeton University Chapel. After placing the current building in historical context, the following guide will give an overview of its architecture, windows, and countless carvings of wood and stone.