Built 1885 Opened 1885 Added to NRHP 20 November 1979 | NRHP Reference # 79003234 Area 4,000 m² Architect Addison Hutton | |
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Location Packer Avenue, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Architectural style Gothic Revival architecture Similar Taylor Stadium, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh Baseball Field, South Mountain, Goodman Stadium | ||
Packer Memorial Chapel (also known as Packer Memorial Church) is a historic church on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton, and built in 1885 when the university was affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It was donated by Mary Packer Cummings in memory of her father, Asa Packer. The cornerstone was laid on "the seventh Founder's Day, October 8, 1885" and the consecration took place "Two years later, on the ninth Founder's Day, October 13, 1887". The chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Packer Memorial Church is currently an Episcopal church on campus. On Sundays, Roman Catholic mass is usually held at 9:00 pm in the chapel. It is also available for weddings in which at least one of the parties is a Lehigh University student or alumnus. It used to be the location of the freshman convocation which is held during orientation at the beginning of each school year, however due to the growing class size, in 2007 convocation was moved to the larger Baker Auditorium in the Zoellner Arts Center. "The Catacombs", was named on February 1, 1969 for a coffee house in the basement of the church. It soon became disused and was later a social meeting place for graduate student. Asa Packer, on the other hand, was buried in Mauch Chunk Cemetery, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, where his mansion was located.
