Skip to main content

Secondary sourceArtifact1928

Rockefeller Chapel

Bertram Goodhue · 1928

A Gothic Revival chapel at the University of Chicago, built with funds from John D. Rockefeller, who called it the university's central building.

Rockefeller funded this chapel and envisioned it as the central building of the University of Chicago, which he founded through his philanthropy.

Ask John D. Rockefeller about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Front view of a large Gothic Revival stone church under a clear blue sky. Two tall towers flank a pointed arched entrance with a big tracery window; a row of carved figures lines the gable. Green lawn and shrubs in front.
Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago, designed by Bertram Goodhue, built 1925–1928.

About this source

What it is

Rockefeller Chapel is a Gothic Revival chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago, designed by architect Bertram Goodhue and built between 1925 and 1928. It contains sculptures by Lee Lawrie and Ulric Ellerhusen, interior work by mosaicist Hildreth Meière, and woodcarvings by Alois Lang. A carillon tower, donated separately by Rockefeller's son in memory of his mother, makes it the tallest building on campus.

Why it matters

John D. Rockefeller funded the University of Chicago and intended this chapel to be its central and dominant feature, reflecting his Baptist-influenced belief in combining education with religious life. It shows how his philanthropy shaped not just institutions but the physical landscape of American higher education.

Look closer

  • Why might Rockefeller have wanted a chapel, rather than another kind of building, to dominate the campus?
  • What does the scale and craftsmanship of the building suggest about his wealth and priorities?
  • What is left out of this building's story by looking only at its architecture?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John D. Rockefeller on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More John D. Rockefeller sources

Meet the AI John D. Rockefeller →
Title page of 'The History of the Standard Oil Company' by Ida M. Tarbell, Volume One, published by McClure, Phillips & Co., New York, MCMV. Includes a red publisher's emblem with an anchor and the initials McC P & Co.Book

Secondary source

The History of the Standard Oil Company

Ida Tarbell · 1904

Handwritten enrolled manuscript of the Act of July 2, 1890, headed 'Fifty-first Congress of the United States of America; At the First Session' with the title 'An Act to protect trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies,' and the opening sections written in long-hand script.Document

Primary source

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

2 July 1890

Political cartoon from the magazine Puck titled 'The Bosses of the Senate.' Large caricatured trust figures in top hats and frock coats, labeled with trust names like Steel Beam, Copper, and Standard Oil, fill the gallery above a Senate chamber of seated lawmakers at desks. A sign reads 'This is Senate of the Monopolists, by the Monopolists, for the Monopolists.' Signed by J. Keppler.Painting

Primary source

The Bosses of the Senate

Joseph Keppler · 23 January 1889

Oval black-and-white portrait of a young man with short dark hair, wearing a dark suit jacket, white shirt, and dark bow tie, shown from the chest up against a light background.Photograph

Primary source

John D. Rockefeller at 22

Unknown · c. 1861

Handwritten manuscript page of the Act to Regulate Commerce, headed Forty-Ninth Congress of the United States of America, At the Second Session, with the text of the act in ink below, bordered in red ink, on aged paper.Document

Primary source

Interstate Commerce Act

4 February 1887

Ready when you are

Start chatting with John D. Rockefeller now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions