Mount Vernon Seminary and College Chapel and religious life collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains chapel artifacts, correspondence, legal documents, invoices, newspaper clippings, photographs, notes, and architectural plans. The materials date from 1931-80. It includes the chapel artifacts from the Mount Vernon Seminary and College and the records of the construction of the Florence Hollis Hand Chapel by Hartman-Cox Architects from 1967-71. Two of the main correspondents are Peter Pelham, President of Mount Vernon College from 1962-1976, and Warren Cox, a partner from the Hartman-Cox Architects firm hired by Mount Vernon College to build the Chapel.
This collection is from Mount Vernon College, which George Washington University acquired in 1999.
Dates
- 1931-1980
- Majority of material found within 1963 - 1971
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Biographical / Historical
Mount Vernon Seminary and College was an all-women's high school and junior college founded in 1875 by Elizabeth J. Somers. In 1966, the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation in LaGrange, Georgia made a sizeable donation to the Mount Vernon College stipulating its use for the construction of a college chapel. The Mount Vernon College had not had a chapel on campus since 1943, when the United States Navy took over their Nebraska Ave. campus property. Mount Vernon hired George Hartman and Warren Cox of Hartman-Cox Architects to build the chapel in 1967, with it being completed in 1971. Mrs. Callaway (née, Alice Hand), a Mount Vernon Seminary student from 1926-1930, named the chapel after her mother, Florence Hollis Hand. The chapel was dedicated in early November 1970. The Chapel also received the American Institute of Architects Honor Award in the 1971 Community and Junior College Design Awards Program. By the time the Florence Hollis Hand Chapel was completed, Mount Vernon College had graduated its last Seminary class (1969) and continued solely as a Junior College. Mount Vernon College later became an accredited four-year college in 1976. The George Washington University initially affiliated with Mount Vernon College, and ultimately acquired the college's property and legacy in 1999. The Hand Chapel currently resides on the Mount Vernon Campus of George Washington University, serving the university as a multifunctional event space.
Extent
13 Linear Feet (1 large box, 2 record center boxes, 2 flat boxes, and 1 document box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Mount Vernon Seminary and College was an all-women's high school and junior college founded in 1875 by Elizabeth J. Somers. The George Washington University initially affiliated with Mount Vernon College, and ultimately acquired the college's property and legacy in 1999. This collection contains the records of the Mount Vernon College Chapel. The artifacts and records date from 1931 to 1980, with the bulk of the material dating between 1963 and 1971.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into two series: Artifacts and Correspondence and other materials.
Physical Location
Materials may be stored off-site, and may require additional retrieval time. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection acquired by GWU upon merger with Mount Vernon College. Collection transferred to Foggy Bottom campus.
Separated Materials
A bust of a woman and a folder titled "New Dormitory" were separated from this collection. The bust is now part of MVC0029, the Memorabilia Collection.
- Architecture -- Washington (D.C.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Churches -- Washington (D.C.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- George Washington University. Mount Vernon Campus
- Mount Vernon College
- Mount Vernon Seminary
- Title
- Guide to the Mount Vernon Seminary and College Chapel and religious life collection, 1931-1980
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
- Date
- 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository
