Old Chapel Hall, also known as Alumni Hall, is a historic building located on the campus of the

University of Dubuque The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian university in Dubuque, Iowa. About 2,200 students attend the university. History The University of Dubuque has had a long history in Dubuque since its foundi ...

in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The school started as a German

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

in 1852. A period of expansion between 1904 and 1922 saw the institution become a

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

college called the Dubuque German College and Seminary. with This building was part of that expansion. Steffens Hall (no longer extant) was completed in 1907, and became the first building on the school's new campus. The chapel was added onto the rear of that building later the same year. It was a gift of the Frank Peters family from St. Louis. The red brick

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

structure features stone trim, paired

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet wi ...

s, a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

, and a small open bell tower above the entrance. Religious services were held here until 1980 when Blades Chapel was completed. As part of that project Steffens Hall was torn down, except for the front arcade and porch, which makes the old chapel the oldest building on campus. A courtyard was created where the old building stood directly in front of the old chapel. The building was listed on 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 ...

in 1983.

References

Religious buildings and structures completed in 1907 Gothic Revival architecture in Iowa University of Dubuque Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub