Knowles Memorial Chapel, built between 1931 and 1932, is an historic
Mediterranean Revival
Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...
building located on the campus of
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution.
History
Rollins Colle ...
in
Winter Park,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. On December 8, 1997, it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. On April 18, 2012, the
AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to:
Aia
* Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain
* Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis
* Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece
* ''Aia'', the collected ed ...
's Florida Chapter placed the Knowles Chapel at Rollins College on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places''.
History
Knowles Memorial Chapel was given to Rollins College by Frances Knowles Warren in memory of her father, Francis Bangs Knowles (1823–1890), one of the founders of both Rollins College and the city of Winter Park. It was designed by noted church and collegiate architect,
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partner ...
, who considered it his favorite of the more than 75 churches and cathedrals he had designed. In the summer of 2007 it underwent a masonry restoration paid for by a trust set up by Frances Knowles Warren.
Organ
The chapel organ was built in 1932 by noted organ builder,
Ernest M. Skinner
Ernest Martin Skinner (January 15, 1866 – November 26/27, 1960) was an American pipe organ builder. His electro-pneumatic switching systems advanced the technology of organ building in the first part of the 20th century.
Biography
Skinner ...
. In the mid 1950s it was renovated by Skinner's firm, Aeolian-Skinner. Between 1999 and 2002 the organ was completely overhauled and renovated by Randall Dyer & Associates. At the same time the Dyer firm also built and installed a "completely new, free-standing antiphonal organ at the rear of the balcony and surrounding the Rose Window." Deeply involved in the work by the Dyer firm was its associate, John J. Tyrrell, former president of Aeolian-Skinner.
Stained Glass
The rose window at the rear depicts the seven liberal arts and is a collaboration between Cram and stained-glass artist William Herbert Burnham.
Current use
Knowles Memorial Chapel continues to be used as the Rollins College Chapel and its dean is the pastor of the college. The chapel is also the venue for many musical events, especially during the annual Bach Festival of Winter Park.
Bach Festival of Winter Park
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See also
* List of Registered Historic Places in Orange County, Florida
__NOTOC__
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Florida.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, Florida, ...
Gallery
Image:Rollins College Knowles Chapel01.jpg, Knowles Chapel detail over entrance
Image:Rollins College Knowles Chapel02.jpg, Knowles Chapel side view
References
External links
Knowles Memorial Chapel homepage
Knowles Memorial Chapel organ
Knowles Memorial Chapel history
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs listing for Knowles Memorial Chapel
Rollins College's 2007 renovation of Knowles Memorial Chapel
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in Orange County, Florida
Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida
Churches in Orange County, Florida
Rollins College
Buildings and structures in Winter Park, Florida
Ralph Adams Cram church buildings
University and college chapels in the United States
Historic American Buildings Survey in Florida
1932 establishments in Florida