Swedenborg Chapel History
Completed in 1901, this chapel was commissioned as a place of worship and education for the New Church Theological School and the Cambridge Society of the New Jerusalem, which formed around the students and faculty of the school. The School was located in the former home of Jeremy Sparks (one of Harvard’s notable Presidents), which was originally located next to the chapel on Quincy Street (seen to the right of the chapel above); however, Harvard University moved the Sparks House onto Kirkland Street next to Busch Hall in the 1968.
The chapel was designed by Herbert Langford Warren (1857-1917) who was a founding member of the society. Warren studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught at Harvard from 1893-1917. He is often credited as the founder of Harvard’s School of Architecture, now the Graduate School of Design.
Design
The chapel was designed by Herbert Langford Warren (1857-1917) who was a founding member of the society. Warren studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and taught at Harvard from 1893-1917. He is often credited as the founder of Harvard’s School of Architecture, now the Graduate School of Design
In the early sixties, when the theological school moved our of Cambridge into Newton, MA an addition was built to house the congregation’s social life. A door was cut in the wall to the left of the organ. Before the school moved, the social gatherings of the congregation happened in the theological school building.
Past Pastors
The Rev. Mr. Kevin K. Baxter
9th Pastor
2006 to 2014
The Rev. Mrs. Sarah L. Buteux
8th Pastor
2002 to 2004
The Rev. Mr. Robert Tafel
7th Pastor
1982-2002
The Rev. Mr. Wilfred G. Rice
6th Pastor
1974-2001
The Rev. Dr. George F. Dole
4nd Pastor
1962-1973
The Rev. Everett Bray
3rd Pastor
1937-1961
The Rev. Mr. William L. Worcester
2nd Pastor
1911-
The Rev. Dr. Theodore Wright
Founding Pastor
1886-