UChicago Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

Rockefeller Chapel — originally called The University Chapel — was designed by architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. It was completed in 1928, representing the culmination of the final gift to the University of Chicago from benefactor and founder John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Built entirely of stone, with the exception of steel supports for the tower’s carillon and roof, it is lavishly decorated on the exterior with sculptures representing the humanities and the sciences. The tallest building on campus and among the tallest church structures in Chicago, its tower stands 207 feet high and can be ascended via a spiral stone staircase of 271 steps. The Chapel walls contain 72,000 pieces of Indiana limestone and the ceiling is decorated with 100,000 pieces of colored Guastavino tile.