Kenyon College - Reveille Yearbook (Gambier, OH)

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Nu Pi Kappa. 1832 Philomathesian, 1827 Artist’s conception of Ascension Hall. 1859 Ascension Hall was built in 1859 and named for its principal donors, the members of the Church of the Ascension in New York City. The original plan pro- vided science labs and classrooms on the first floor of the center section, halls for the Philomathesian and Nu Pi Kappa literary societies on the second and third floors respectively, an astronomical obser- vatory in the tower, and student rooms in the wings. In 1927, after the science facilities were moved to the newly completed Samuel Mather Hall, the in- terior of Ascension was torn out and rebuilt in con- crete and steel. The original woodwork in the Phi- lomathesian and Nu Pi Kappa halls was removeri, numbered, and reinstalled; the woodwork in the rest of the renovated building was cut from timbers removed from the original interior. The Nu Pi Kappa hall was later partitioned off into faculty offices, but is still officially known by its original name, to the confusion of many incoming freshmen. The two literary societies were a central feature of the life of the College from its founding until fairly recently. The Philomathesian was founded in 1827, before the College mover! to Gambier. Nu Pi Kappa came into being in 1832 when a dispute between Philo members from free and slave-holding states led to a decision to divide the group. The question of which faction got to keep the original name was decided by the toss of a coin. North won. Physics lab in Middle Ascenion, 1916

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c. 1885 c. 1870 Rosse Chapel was begun by Chase in 1829; he envi- sioned it as a Gothic structure with a spire at the front and a deep chancel which would have ex- tended forty feet into the present cemetery. He only got as far as finishing the basement before he left; and under his successor. Bishop Charles Mcllvaine. the plans were redrawn in accordance with the then-current Greek revival, resulting in a structure which remains a bit of an architectural oddity among its Gothic neighbors. For lack of money the building wasn’t finished until 1845, and it has been something of a problem child ever since. Shortly after it was completed a heavy snow crushed the roof, and for several years tree trunks, bark and all. were used to prop up the ceiling. In 1871, the newly built Church of the Holy Spirit became the College cha|x l. and Rosse Chapel was nanus! Rosse Hall. It was equipped as a gymnasium in 188-1. and in 18% (having naturally been consecrated for divine wor- ship when first built) it was specially deconsecrated so it could lx used for dances. In May of 1897 some students who had lx en polish- ing the floor for a dance left a pile of oil-soaked rags in a corner; the resulting fire left only portions of two walls and the twin pillars in front, which were incorporated into the reconstructed building, com- pleted in 1900. Rosse continued to serve as a gym- nasium until 1948, when half of an old Marine drill hall was moved to Gambier and became the Werth- eimer Field House. The view at middle left shows the chancel of Rosse during its last years as Chapel. The Bishop Chase memorial plaque which appears in this picture was installed in 1801 and moved to the Church of the Holy Spirit when Rosse was deconsecrated, thus escaping the fire by only a year. At lower left, the interior of Rosse as gymnasium, in use by the student body of the Harcourt Place School for Girls. 1922 9 4 May 9. 1897

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 The chapel occupies a prominent place in the daily life of a Kenyon student. Every day he passes by it time after time, and enters it at least once. He becomes familiar with the angles of its most unobtrusive windows. He knows the decorative inscriptions on its walls inside by- heart, he can even describe accurately the design of the pulpit and altar, and he even has a speaking acquaint- ance with the individual hymnals and prayerbooks.” - from the 1912 REVEILLE c. 1890 Chapel interior with photographer’s hat. c. 1905 The College chapel, the Church of the Holy Spirit, was begun in 1869 and consecrated in 1871. Like Ascension Hall, it was given to the College bv the members of New York’s Church of the Ascension. It was built as a tribute to their former rector, Gregory 'I'. Bedell, then assistant Bishop of Ohio, who in 1863 built Kokosing, the house on Kokosing Drive now occupied by Professor Crump. Ixmg-time residents of Gambier, Bishop and Mrs. Bedell carefully supervised the details of the new church, right down to the ivy which was ini| ortcd from England's Mel- rose Abbey. The illuminated texts on the walls were commissioned in 1874 and restored in 1940. For many years seating in the chapel followed a pre- scribed pattern, traces of which still survive in the seating habits of the congregation of Harcourt Parish. Around 19(H). when the other schools which once o|x rated in Gambier were in their heyday, the arrangement was as follows: Kenyon students occupied the nave pews facing each other across the center aisle. Each student was as- signed an individual seat to aid the proctors in enforcing the attendance requirement. The cadets of the Kenyon Military Academy sat on benches in the center aisle, which appear in the photograph above. The West tran- sept was occupied by Kenyon professors and their fami- lies, the front pews of the East transept by the faculty and students of Bexley Hall. The remaining East tran- sept pews were assignee! to Gambier townspeople, and the gallery was occupied by the girls of the Harcourt Place School. While the regulations were gradually relaxed over the year , chapel attendance in some form was required of Kenyon students until I960. In the days when daily at- tendance was the rule, a rather elaborate sort of point system was used. Absence, beyond a prescribed number of times |x?r semester was of course the most severe infrac- tion: lesser penalties were also provided for such minor offenses as coming in late or falling asleep during the sermon. c. 1935 ll