Hendricks Chapel, A House for Every Faith
Near Syracuse, New York
At the center of the Syracuse University campus stands Hendricks Chapel, dedicated on June eighth, nineteen thirty. It was funded by a bequest from Francis Hendricks, a New York state senator and university trustee, who left money to honor his late wife Eliza Jane. He had one condition: the chapel must serve people of every faith, not just one.
The architects answered with Greek and Roman forms rather than Christian symbols, creating a sanctuary without a creed. Today the chapel hosts about ten chaplaincies and many religious and spiritual groups. For nearly a century it has stood as one of the earliest formal experiments in interfaith campus ministry at an American university.
