Kumler Chapel is a building of architectural interest located on the Western Campus for
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
in
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...
. It was built in 1917-18 for what was then the
Western College for Women
Western College for Women, known at other times as Western Female Seminary, The Western and simply Western College, was a women's and later coed liberal arts college in Oxford, Ohio, between 1855 and 1974. Initially a seminary, it was the host of ...
by the architect
Thomas Hastings Thomas Hastings may refer to:
*Thomas Hastings (colonist) (1605–1685), English immigrant to New England
*Thomas Hastings (composer) (1784–1872), American composer, primarily of hymn tunes
*Thomas Hastings (cricketer) (1865–1938), Australian cr ...
, in a "Transitional Gothic" style with both
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
and
Romanesque influences. It is now a venue for church services and
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
s.
History
![West side of Kumler Chapel construction 1917 (3191462872)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/West_side_of_Kumler_Chapel_construction_1917_%283191462872%29.jpg)
Kumler Chapel was constructed beginning in 1917, suffered from a structural collapse, and was then rebuilt beginning in June and completed in September 1918. Kumler Chapel was built on the
Western College for Women
Western College for Women, known at other times as Western Female Seminary, The Western and simply Western College, was a women's and later coed liberal arts college in Oxford, Ohio, between 1855 and 1974. Initially a seminary, it was the host of ...
campus, which is now a part of the Western Campus for
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
in
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...
. Kumler Chapel replaced an older chapel. The building was built due to the beneficence of Mrs. Anna Kumler Wright, an alumna of Western College for Women, and her sister Ella Kumler McKelvy, also an alumna of Western College for Women. The sisters decided to have Kumler Chapel built in honor of their parents: their father, Reverend J.P.E. Kumler and their mother, Mrs. Abbie Goulding Kumler.
Kumler Chapel was originally dedicated on November 10, 1916 yet it was not finished being built until September 1918. November 28, 1918 became the official Dedication Day for Kumler Chapel; this site was completed and a piece of ivy was removed from a neighboring building, Peabody, and was attached to the east side of Kumler Chapel. The building’s arch and mortar collapsed on February 26, 1918 at 4:20pm. This collapse was a major setback for the construction of Kumler Chapel. The cost of Kumler Chapel was never revealed, and the total cost was divided between the Kumler sisters as well as the architect,
Thomas Hastings Thomas Hastings may refer to:
*Thomas Hastings (colonist) (1605–1685), English immigrant to New England
*Thomas Hastings (composer) (1784–1872), American composer, primarily of hymn tunes
*Thomas Hastings (cricketer) (1865–1938), Australian cr ...
of New York.
The chapel was originally used for church services, baccalaureates, and convocation for the Western College for Women.
[“Church Services”. Western Archives, Oxford, OH-Historic pamphlets for the Western College for Women, 1972] During the 1970s, two Chapel Interns were appointed from among the seminary students to assist in developing the religious life of Western College for Women. The two interns were to be one man and one woman who were not married.
These interns helped develop the use of the chapel for weddings and other activities.
Architecture
Noted architect
Thomas Hastings Thomas Hastings may refer to:
*Thomas Hastings (colonist) (1605–1685), English immigrant to New England
*Thomas Hastings (composer) (1784–1872), American composer, primarily of hymn tunes
*Thomas Hastings (cricketer) (1865–1938), Australian cr ...
, formerly of
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, designed Kumler Chapel inspired by both the
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
and
Romanesque, called “Transitional Gothic.”
[. Miami University Western Archives] His inspiration for Kumler Chapel came from Église Saint-Pierre, a church in Bazouches-au-Houlme, Normandy. The outside of Kumler Chapel is built with
Fieldstone
Fieldstone is a naturally occurring type of stone, which lies at or near the surface of the Earth. Fieldstone is a nuisance for farmers seeking to expand their land under cultivation, but at some point it began to be used as a construction mate ...
laid in a fishbone pattern which comes from the original church in Normandy, which dates back to the 9th Century.
The windows of Kumler Chapel are extremely important and possess great meaning. They are Gothic pointed arches with the absence of tracery; this style dates back to the Romanesque period. The windows were originally designed for a chapel by Montague-Castle-London Company of New York, and then brought to Oxford. There are three main windows: the one in the center is a display of Christ; below him are Mary, Martha, and Mary Magdelene with an inscription underneath that reads: “But His teaching Christ brought the meaning of true womanhood to every woman of every nation and every home.” This window was dedicated to Jeremiah P.E. Kumler, D.D. The west window represented the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
incidents of Prophetess
Deborah
According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', " bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...
with listeners. This window was dedicated to Elias Kumler. The east window represented the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
and displayed love expressed through Christ. This window was dedicated to Abagail Goulding Kumler. All windows in Kumler Chapel are plain glass except for two, which are rose glass.
The interior is dark, heavy wood, which is to create a solemn and peaceful atmosphere.
Ohio Historic Inventory
Ohio Historic Preservation Office, August 30, 2008. There are heavy beams in the ceiling on the interior. The exterior was built with grey fieldstone, from nine native fieldstone, which was laid in a fishbone pattern.
An architectural specialty of Kumler Chapel is the alignment of the ridgepole of the tower roof. It is at the right angles to that of the nave roof whereas ridgepoles are usually parallel.
Weddings and events
Kumler Chapel is now used for various events such as weddings and church services, as well as ceremonies for Miami's student organizations and Greek life.
Miami University. Accessed December 21, 2016.
References
{{Miami_University
University and college chapels in the United States
Buildings and structures of Miami University
Churches completed in 1918
Religious buildings and structures in Ohio
Carrère and Hastings buildings