Help Us Restore Old Chapel's Stained Glass Windows!

For our 50th reunion, the Reunion Campaign Committee selected the Class of 1964 Old Chapel Renovation Fund as the class gift to the university to commemorate this remarkable time. The fund will aid ongoing efforts to restore Old Chapel, focusing on restoration of the 20+ stained glass windows to their original beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Chapel with its beautiful stained glass windows and stately presence has been a constant shining beacon in the memories of UMass alumni for 130 years. It is in all of our hearts. That is why we chose such a significant and visible renovation as our class gift. The Class of 1964 Old Chapel Renovation Fund will aid in the restoration of Old Chapel as an emblem of the university's strong, vibrant past and bright, innovative future. 

Along with the beauty these renovated windows will add to campus for generations to come, the generosity of our class will be honored in the following ways:

• A plaque will be placed inside Old Chapel recognizing the Class of 1964 for its efforts in helping to restore this beautiful campus landmark
• Classmates giving $1,000 or more to the fund will have their names inscribed on a prominently located donor wall
• Classmates who make gifts of $5,000 or more will have the opportunity to have their names engraved on a plaque accompanying one of the 20+ restored stained glass windows

For more information, please contact Nathan Adams '06, Reunion Campaign Coordinator, at nadams@admin.umass.edu or (413) 545-1043.

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Class Gift Project Details

Built in 1885 as the iconic heart of the Massachusetts Agricultural College campus, Old Chapel has served as a library, assembly hall, and most recently, in the 1980s, as the Marching Band’s practice facility.  Now, with Old Chapel closed, thousands of students pass by this iconic building each day, oblivious to its historic and important link to the university’s past and to those alumni who cherished it.  In 2013, Chancellor Subbaswamy made the renovation of Old Chapel a campus priority and established a Renovation Advisory Committee to spearhead the project.

The outside of the building was recently restored with granite from the original quarry and the bells chime loudly throughout campus once again. It is now time to focus on the inside of the building. The university's goal is to modernize the interior of the building, while maintaining its original splendor. The beautiful arched beams and stunning wood details of the building, or the "bones," will be restored to maintain the building's elegance, while the inadequate "guts" will be overhauled to bring the building up to code. The university's vision for Old Chapel is to reinstate the building's original purpose to provide a place for receptions, lectures and special events on the top floor. The main floor will offer flexible space to be used by students as well as permanently showcase the university archives and history with rotating exhibitions of university collections. 

The Class of 1964 Old Chapel Renovation Fund is an especially fitting class gift as we embark upon the most ambitious fundraising campaign in our history, UMass Rising.  The university is committed to playing an ever greater leadership role in the Commonwealth and the nation, and we anticipate reestablishing Old Chapel as a focal point of campus life.