OLDEST -- Surviving Building on Drury University Campus - Superlatives on Waymarking.com

Stone Chapel, Springfield, Missouri is significant as the oldest surviving building on the campus of Drury College. It stands as the first major stone building to have been constructed in Springfield, and it was recognized even by early Missouri historians as one of the "handsomest and most impressive school buildings in the state" . In addition, this building is a fine local example of Gothic Revival design with Victorian Gothic features and in its various roles as chapel, conservatory of music, college library, office building and public meeting hall, it has served both the college and community since its construction.

This building, which was designed in 1880, was to have been executed in brick. In 1881, however, it was decided to construct its walls and foundation entirely of limestone. Consequently, the building as completed does not exhibit the polychromy typical of the Victorian Gothic style, although the textural effects of the finished stonework create an analogous effect. The quarry-faced limestone blocks are laid in a random ashlar pattern. The margins of the quoin blocks .have been smoothed to decoratively emphasize these areas. The heavy texture of the quarry-faced finish is relieved by many details in smoothed stone such as lintels, sills, horizontal string courses, cornices, window and door jambs and reveals, capstones, keystones and other accents. Further plastic treatment of the exterior includes projecting arches, stepped buttresses and molded dripstones with sculpted label stops. On the west front of this cruciform building, an arched and gabled portico is flanked by a clock tower on the south and a small corner tower on the north. The chapel is capped with a roof of multiple high gables and is faced with slates. The ridge of the transept is somewhat lower than that of the nave. Over the clock tower, the octagonal pyramidal spire is punctuated by four gabled stone dormers, each facing a cardinal point and holding a clock.

The exterior of Stone Chapel appears today as it did when completed in 1892. A careful renovation was accomplished between 1950 and 1953 by Sanford and Sons, a local architectural firm, which included the replacement of the original wooden framed spire which had rotted with one of steel construction and nearly identical appearance. Masonry joints were raked and pointed, badly weathered stones and cracked lintels were replaced and the original slate roof was rebuilt using the same material. Downspouts, flashing and guttering were also replaced where necessary. New electrically illuminated clock faces were installed to replace the original stonefaces and the clock was electrified as part of this renovation. Finally, two pointed-arched windows on the east as well as one on the north sides of the chance were closed with grey limestone to accommodate the new chancel which was completed in 1955.