Maple Street Chapel Preservation Society

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THE MAPLE STREET CHAPEL

Back-of-Choir-Loft Closet

History

(Good records are not available. This history is a compilation of a few people's
memories and "archeological evidence".)
The original location of the chapel organ, both keyboard and pipes, was in this corner.
Also, the original west entrance to the chapel was at this point. You can see the unused door in the Reade Room and the original door frame on the outside of the west wall. Here is a picture from around 1900. The organ is plainly visible. This picture was taken before the raised altar area was constructed in 1945. Note the lack of a grate above the organ - That was created when the organ was replaced in 1920, and a larger set of pipes was installed in the attic. Also note the kerosene lantern on the wall to the right.

In more recent years, after the new organ replaced the one in the above photo, and after Cushing Hall was built and the original east entrance was sealed off, the corner was kind of unattractive and useless place, typically being a place to pile stuff. Masonite was applied to the back wall and ceiling (and painted black), perhaps in an attempt to reflect sound from the choir.

The Project

When the black masonite was removed, we were surprised to see that the walls and ceiling were finished in beaded board (The unfinished boards are the furring strips to which the masonite was attached.):

But that did not change the fact that the purpose of the project was to turn a useless corner into a much-needed storage closet. The wall was framed up and the passage door was installed:

Then the panel doors were constructed:

Door trim was actually taken from the breezeway between the sanctuary and the Reade Room. In the left photo, note how well the goal of making the two sides of the sanctuary match was met: