Culver Memorial Chapel  

1945 - Jul 18 - Academy Announces Plans for $1,000,000 Memorial Chapel

Plans for a $1,000,000 Memorial Chapel at the Culver Military Academy have been announced by the Board of Directors of The Culver Educational Foundation with the Culver Fathers Association, the Culver Summer Schools Alumni Association and the Culver Legion engaged in raising the fund.

The Chapel, which will be a tribute to all Academy men in service in World War II, will be located at the approximate center of the present Woodcraft Camp site so that the beautiful tower will overlook the entire campus. A carillon will be placed in the tower.

The honor roll of men in service will be a feature of the tower vestibule, which leads to the nave.

The plans of the architect, Jens F. Larson, who has an international reputation, include a pipe organ, a seminar room, the oratory, the chancel, the sanctuary, the study and vestry, and the nave and gallery seating.

The Chapel is to be connected by arcades with the Science Building on the east and the Humanities Building on the west...

1950 - Apr. 13 - Plan Building At Culver THE ARCHITECT'S PERSPECTIVE of the $1,000,000 Tudor Gothic memorial chapel at Culver (Ind.) Military Academy ground for which was broken this week, is shown above. Funds for the building and furnishings were raised by the Culver Alumni and Fathers associations in recognition of the service rendered by Culver's 7,000 alumni who fought in World War II, 283 of whom were killed. Academy officials expect to lay the cornerstone for the chapel at Homecoming Oct. 21. Plansall for the memorial to be ready for dedication in the fall of 1951

Will Begin Work on Culver Academty Chaepl Next Week

CULVER, Ind., April 13. Construction on the Culver Military Academy Memorial chapel is scheduled to start next week, according to announcement of the foundation board of directors made here today.

Located on old "Players Hill" between the recreation building and the health center, the chapel will face Lake Maxinkuckee above the lower parade ground of the academy.

More than $1,000,000 from alumni and patrons was raised in the financial drive to build the memorial to Culver alumni who fought in World War II.

Contributions were received from donors in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, and 11 foreign countries.

Among those in Valparaiso who helped make the chapel drive a success were Clarence E. Fisher, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Fisher, John B. Lowenstine, Mandel Lowenstine, M. R. Lowenstine, Charles S. McGlll, and J. Robert McKay.

Costing $996,000 to build and furnish, the Tudor-Gothic structure designed by Jens Fredrick Larson New York City is the first building on the Culver campus to be built with funds given by a cross section of graduates, patrons, and other friends of the school.

The financial drive was conducted by the Alumni and Fathers associations.

Built of brick and Indiana lime stone, the chapel will have a seating capacity of 976 including a 54-member choir. Included in its facil ities will be a 1,000 pipe-70 stop organ, a 51-bell carillon, a nave with open arches and three-mullion win dows, a large stained glass window over the chancel, a meditation chapel, and a gold star altar which will be engraved the names of the 283 Culver alumni who their lives in World War II.

Academy officials have announced plans for laying the cornerstone next fall at the annual Homecoming.

Hegeman and Harris, general supervising contractors from New York City have set the fall of as the time when the chapel will ready for dedication. - Vidette-Messenger of Porter County

Culver ACADEMY PLANS LARGE MEMORIAL CHAPEL Culver , Ind., July 13. - Plans for a Memorial chapel to be built at Culver Military Academy as an enduring tribute to its alumni serving in World War II are announced in the recent issue of The Culver , alumni magazine. The Culver Fathers' Association, the Culver Summer Schools Alumni Association and the Culver Legion are now engaged in raising a fund of $1,000,000 for its construction, furnishing and endowment.

Keeping full pace with plans for the Memorial Chapel, the board of directors of the Culver Educational Foundation has announced the allocation of funds for a new health center and two academic buildings, one to house the departments of mathematics and science and the other the depatments of social studies' languages and English.

The following was the fundraiser brochure for the chapel:



Long Range Program The allocation of funds for the new building begins a long-range program toward a greater Culver Military Academy. Developed over a long period, these building plans necessarily were postponed at the outbreak of the war and are now being reactivated. And with the drive for the million fund under way, the chapel becomes an integral part of these plans.

In May, 1944, the Culver Fathers' Association proposed the erection of a chapel to honor Culver men in the war and urged directors to permit them to join with the Legion and the Summer Schools Alumni Association in raising necessary funds. In granting approval, recognizing the appeal of the memorial and the vital place of a chapel upon each generation of cadets, the board of directors made an unprecedentd exception to their traditional policy of permitting no organized campaign for financial contributions to Culver Military Academy.

Plans for the Memorial Chapel have been drawn by Jens Fredrick Larson, internationally known architect. According to plans the chapel will be located at the approximate center of the Woodcraft Camp site, overlooking the entire campus, and will be connected by arcades with the Science building on the east and Humanities building on the west.

The plans provide the placing of a carillon in the tower and the Honor Roll will be a feature of the tower vestibule. In planning the interior, provisions are made to include a pipe organ, seminar room, the oratory, chancel, sanctuary, study and vestry and nave and gallery seating.

Officers of the Legion, Summer School Alumni Association and Culver Fathers' Association are serving as a chapel fund committee, with their respective presidents serving as co-chairmen.
The News-Sentinel, Friday, July 13, 1945

This booklet contains - Front Cover, Back Cover, Title Page, Inserts, Chapel sketch, About the Chapel Pages 3 - 10, List of Culver Graduates who lost their lives in World War II 11 15, Lay Program of Deciation pages 16 - 25, Carillion Recital page 26, Organ Rectial page 27, List of Individiual Gifts of Specific Features (Donors): Pages 28 - 70 page 71 was blank; Listing of the Contractors & Suppliers page 73

Bob Hartman tells the stuggle of the year in which the chapel was built in: "The Architect, the Fundraisers and the Memorial Chapel



The carillon was the last North American installation by Gillett & Johnston, and their last complete carillon.

Traditional carillon of 51 bells Pitch of heaviest bell is B in the bass octave Transposition is down 1 semitone(s) Keyboard range: C D# / C C 24 There is one missing bass semitone There is an identical practice console The whole instrument was installed in 1951 with bells made by Gillett & Johnston Auxiliary mechanisms: S1Q*14 Tower details not available

Renovated by Taylor, 1982. Originally Cambridge (Westminster) quarters; now has unique quarters by John Gouwens, 0745-2030. Independent transmission for electro-pneumatic tune player, heard daily at 5 pm. Bourdon swings.

Carillonist:

ded.Oct.1951 Kamiel Lefévere (d.)
1951-54 Alan Ross (1921-2001)(C)
1954-57 James Kohn
1957-67 Milford Myhre (C)
1967-80 Robert Kamrow (d.2012)
1980-201_ - John Gouwens, Academy Carillonneur and Organist

Here are some pictures of the Chapel:

Chapel Building memories by Strow