Holden Chapel
Address15, Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA, United States of America, 02138
Site Number325
Alternate Names
Lady Holden's Chapel
Building Root Number
04380
Architect (Original)
John Smibert
Land Acquired
1697
Constructed 1744
Building Acquired 1744
Constructed 1744
Building Acquired 1744
StatusActive
Site Name HistoryThe site is named after Samuel Holden, Governor of the Bank of England, and a prominent English dissenter.Historical NotesCompleted in 1744, Holden Chapel is the third oldest extant Harvard building. The building was funded by a gift of £400 from the widow (named Jane) and daughters of Samuel Holden, Governor of the Bank of England, who was a London merchant, member of Parliament, and prominent English dissenter. The chapel may have been designed in London, with the plans brought to America by Thomas Hutchinson (A.B. 1727) but it has also be attributed to John Smibert, the designer of Fanueil Hall in Boston.
The donation from Jane Holden on behalf of her husband was honored by an elaborately carved wood sculpture in the west pediment of the chapel (facing Peabody St./Mass. Ave.) which incorporates the family crests of the Holdens. The wood sculpture in the east pediment (facing Harvard Yard) was installed in 1926 and is a replica of the west sculpture, though there are slight differences in design. Based on research conducted in 2019 by Bruner/Cott and Building Conservation Associates, the wood sculpture on the west pediment appears to be original, dating to the time of the building's construction or shortly thereafter. Research previously undertaken by Building Conservation Associates and Bruner/Cott architects on similar period sculptural elements would place the west sculpture at Holden Chapel among the earliest (if not the earliest) known surviving wood pediment sculptures in the United States.
Holden Chapel was Harvard's first purpose-built religious structure and regular religious services continued here until 1766. It also served as a temporary seat for the Provincial House of Representatives and, during the American Revolution, it was used as a barracks for soldiers. The chapel served as the first home of the Medical School from its beginning in 1783 under the direction of John Warren (A.B. 1771) until 1810 when the school moved to Boston. Originally, the main façade was on the west wall and faced Cambridge Common but the orientation was changed by a renovation in 1850 by architect Gridley J. F. Bryant and in 1880 the former west entrance was sealed.
Other uses of the building included a carpenter shop, fire engine house, club house, chemistry laboratory, a museum, class rooms, and an auditorium where performances of the Everett Athenaeum took place. During World War I it served as a recruiting station and during World War II it was a point of issue for Naval stores. Today it is used for lectures, classes and musical performances.
Additional Information
Yumusak, Ege. “Services, Cadavers, and Collegium: The History of Holden Chapel.” The Harvard Crimson, 10 Apr. 2014, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/4/10/holden-chapel-history-cadavers/.
Lonergan, Jonelle M. “Human Bones Found During Holden Chapel Renovations | News | The Harvard Crimson.” The Harvard Crimson, 9 July 1999, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/7/9/human-bones-found-during-holden-chapel/.
Lonergan, Jonelle M. “Arsenic Found in Holden Chapel Excavation Site.” The Harvard Crimson, 16 July 1999, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/7/16/arsenic-found-in-holden-chapel-excavation/.
Harvard University. Corporation. Records of Early Harvard Buildings, 1710-1969. (1710). Harvard University Archives call number UAI 15.10.5
Swan, Walter Dana. “The Harvard Memorial Gates.” The Architectural Review, vol. 8:6, June 1901, pp. 61-72, illus.
Harvard Univesity: A Selection of Historic Buildings. Cambridge, Mass., 1986.
Weber, Paul J. Photographs of Harvard University Buildings and Grounds Taken by Paul J. Weber, Ca. 1929-1931 and 1939. Harvard University Archives call number HUV 2329
Harvard College. Gray's Hall 1850-1920. Boston Public Library, Print Department., Boston. Web. Local Accession Number: 06_11_000907
Griffin, Arthur. Harvard College Holden Chapel, built in 1744. 1935. Web. 07 Jun 2017. .
Sexton, Rachel. Holden Chapel: an Archaeological Window into Harvard's Medical History. Thesis, 2000. Tozzer Library call number N.A.ARC. Se 91 h.
Parker, Samuel D. A Survey of Cambridge Common, and Mensuration of the Height of Holden Chapel. [The whole Contents, 16 Acres, 0 R. 21.7328 Perches.]. 1799. Harvard University Archives call number HUC 8782.514 no. 72 https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/ids:8931974$1i
Holden Chapel as Now Existing [floor plan, architectural drawing]. Harvard College, Cambridge, [1850]. Harvard University Archives call number UAI 15.10.5 https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/ids:44584205$1i
Manuscript Inventory of Personal Property of the College, 1828. Harvard University Archives call number UAI 20.828.
General Information by and about Holden Chapel. Harvard University Archives call number HUB 1451.2.
Photographic Views of Holden Chapel, 1857-1982. (1857). Harvard University Archives call number HUV 32
Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution. Hannah Winthrop chapter, Cambridge. An Historic Guide to Cambridge. 2nd ed., rev. ed., Cambridge, Mass., 1907.
Hurlbut, Byron Satterlee. A Guide Book to the Grounds and Buildings of Harvard University. Cambridge: U, 1898. Print.
This building has been designated by the University Planning Office as having a Notable Interior.