My wife, two teenage sons, and I stopped by this chapel during a visit to the University of Chicago campus. We were stunned by the amazing detail and beauty of this Gothic church and the wooden organ. The organist seemed to practicing), so we had the benefit of hearing music in this lovely space. I would highly recommend that you stop by the chapel if you're touring the University of Chicago campus. It really is a magnificent building that only be fully appreciated from the interior. The space is very peaceful and leads you to a moment of reflection, or just a pause in the middle of a busy day. Enjoy! From the Robie House, it's about a 5-7 minute walk to the chapel on the south side of campus (in front of the Midway Plaisance). read more

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The Rockefeller Chapel is really the visual center of the University of Chicago and is named after its founder. While it's built and decorated in the style of a gothic cathedral, it actually does not have any religious affiliation and is home to all kinds of events, including convocation, orientation, weddings, concerts, yoga, and a variety of religious events. Aside from some of the public events that you can attend, you can also walk through to enjoy the architecture whenever the university is open and there are no events taking place (so most weekdays). There are also daily tours of the tower and carillon; if you are comfortable walking up all the steps it's very interesting and provides an amazing view of the campus. Every day at noon on campus you can also be treated to the carillon bells being played. Sometimes it's classical music, but other times it can be the sesame street theme song or a pop song; it's up to whoever is playing that day. read more

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Just stunning. Back when the wealthy gave back to the community and to better those to come with glorious and glamorous architecture.

Lovely space but two things: bathrooms are in the lower level and there is no obvious elevator. A friend asked the staff if there was an elevator to the bathrooms and was told "no...but there is a lift" but she didn't know what that meant so she struggled up and down the stairs. Also, it is super hot and stuffy! There is no air conditioning. Doors are open, but the pews are full with students on tour and it is roasting. But the space is old and beautiful and the acoustics are great. The speaker is not even using a microphone. read more

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Beautiful chapel on the campus of University of Chicago. I was able to see Peter Murphy here a few weeks back for a concert. Wonderful Gothic church that had great acoustics. Definitely not a venue I'd think would be good for a rock concert but I was gladly in the wrong! I'm hoping more shows are played here, in addition to the many events that it already hosts. read more

We had our wedding ceremony here this past fall. Reservations are open to Alumni and their children. The coordinators were really helpful and accommodating. Make sure you book at least a year in advance. Their dates fill up quickly! Their organist is outstanding and can play anything. He even played piano accompaniment for a song with two singers he had never even rehearsed with before! The carillon bells before and after the service are such a nice touch. You can even choose the songs that are played on the carrilon. The chapel acoustics are outstanding. We had a string quartet and vocal performances. Their voices carried beautifully throughout the chapel without any sort of microphone or equipment. FYI Make sure any elderly family members use the bathroom ahead of time. Their bathrooms are in the basement and they do not have an elevator! Also the holding room for the bride is in the basement. It's renovated but super plain and has no windows. You will want to get ready somewhere else (like your hotel) so that you have more natural lighting for pictures! read more

Stupendous, just awe inspiring stupendous. John D. Rockefeller was a robber baron whose guilt/generosity led him to donate money and build many useful and beautiful buildings but he outdid himself here. He must have realized it himself as he allowed it to be named after him, a rarity. It completes the neo gothic architecture of this wonderful university and provides a focus to the campus. It was a great place to stop in when I was lucky enough to attend summer seminars here many many moons ago and still was on our recent Hyde Park holiday. I just wish I could attend a wedding here. Not mine, I've been married twice, that's enough. I just would love to see it being used for that purpose. In the meantime, I will just appreciate it for its architectural glory. read more

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel - I love the vaulted ceilings - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is quite an impressive chapel, especially for being for a university. But hey it was built with Rockefeller money! The organ inside really is amazing and the stained glass windows. read more

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The big University of Chicago chapel near Robie house opens early , has free water , a bathroom and is free.It is also very nice and has an impressive looking organ.It's a pretty place and you will enjoy your visit. read more

Rockefeller Memorial Chapel - here it is - Performing Arts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love the Rockefeller Chapel. It is an incredibly beautiful building. During sunset the light shines through the stain glass and lit up the interior. They have weekly mass, meditation session, prayer sessions, as well as rooms that can be used privately downstairs. Besides hosting services from different religious groups, they also offer carillon tours every weekend. At the time you can go up the tower and see a great view of downtown Chicago skyline and being surrounded by gargoyles! The carillon concert is great and there is only a few of these in the country. The university also host special events in town at the Chapel. I saw Jane Goodall giving a talk here once and it was a completely amazing experience (she really is a gifted speaker) and makes me want to get up and do something good for the world as well (in the process of working on that!!). You can go to the website to see the events coming up. I can't wait to go to another event here. read more

My goodness. I graduated here. It's beautiful. It's awesome. It's hot as hell in the summer. But I was damned proud and happy to be here. Go check it out. It's open to all, and lovely. read more

You'd think the age has passed when women attended college for the purpose of getting their MRS degree. Really it has, but when I stepped into this chapel as a first year undergrad I couldn't help but think "Hmm, I'd like to get married here." Some years later I got married here! It was one of the few indulgences I insisted on, a gorgeous ceremony in an epic old cathedral style church. Extra points that it is truly a house of integrated faith, holding Christian, Muslim, and general interfaith prayer services in my experience. Let me tell you, it feels awesome to walk down the aisle with that fabulous organ playing (Te Deum by Charpentier, if you wanted to know). The place was large enough to dwarf even my massive family, seating over a thousand. The wedding coordinator, Lucy, and the organist, Tom, were accommodating, helpful, all of those positive things when it comes to wedding planning. The place is BYOM: bring your own minister, and they will not make it hard for you to have the officiant of your choice, so any drama will come from your officiant getting clearance from his or her higher ups. Bridezillas beware: there are significant decoration limitations. Personally though I chose the place because I felt it beautiful enough to stand virtually undecorated. read more

We stepped in here to kill a 1/2 hour before the Oriental Institute Museum opened @ noon. We didn't know they were having their Sunday worship and since we'd missed mass this morning (and pretty much every Sunday this summer - shhhh... don't tell our parish priest) we figured - what the heck... let's get some churchin' in us. The service was excellent and communion was for everyone. The architecture was very reminiscent of the dining hall @ Hogwarts castle - vaulted ceilings, stained glass... you get the picture. After the service, the organ player did his thing and it was AWESOME!! read more

An updated review. Rockefeller is an incredible place and don't let the term "chapel" (which some may assume to mean a small church) fool you. It's huge and simply magnificent, with one of the largest if not the largest pipe organs in the state, a bell tower carillon etc. You should check their web site to see the many offerings because some are not to be missed. http://rockefeller.uchicago.edu/ Two of my personal favorites: The annual silent movie screening: Around Halloween there is usually a screening of a silent movie with live organ accompaniment and more often than not it's the internationally acclaimed Dennis James. This is a real treat and my only wish is that it was more than once a year. Tea & Pipes: This is a free 30 minute recital on Rockefeller's giant Skinner pipe organ. Tea & cookies are served (yes, that's free as well). Sit back, relax and enjoy the music and refreshments. Tuesdays at 4:30 PM during spring and fall terms. Come on by. Plenty of seats. Now that it's back at Rockefeller (to stay I hope) after a sojourn at another venue that was more cramped, didn't allow refreshments, with a charming but hardly grand organ, I restoreth Rockefeller to 5 stars! read more

If you are really in to art and building structure you need to vist the Rockefeller Chapel. I have visited here several times for graduations, concerts and mass. It is a nice place where I always feel welcome. read more

It's a beautiful building with a huge amount of history. It's hard to review something like this on a five-star scale, because really, how can you? There's sometimes events going on, and I've heard there are services as well. I'm not a church-goer, so I'd check the other reviews for info on that. What I can comment on, is the absolutely amazing architecture and general aesthetics, and the fact that it's open to the public. Absolutely worth seeing while you're in Hyde Park, and maybe even Chicago. read more

This is a glorious place. I've never seen the amazing, softly glowing effect of the decorations in the ceiling (inlaid...what?). The organ is gorgeous, and Tom is a superb organist. I have attended several wonderful choral concerts here by great ensembles - choirs on the international concert stage and local fine ensembles - and I have had the pleasure of singing here as well. The neo-gothic architecture draws your eyes and your spirit up. Elizabeth Davenport is the wonderful Dean of the Chapel who makes everyone welcome through the many offerings of and in the Chapel, and through her warm and sparkling personality. Chapel Cat Modo is the mascot :-) read more

Spectacular vaulted Gothic university "chapel" that is more aptly described as an Old World cathedral. It has an enormous pipe organ and I believe there are regular organ concerts open to the non-university public. As long as you are in the area you should also definitely check out the rest of the University of Chicago's somewhat remarkable campus: beautiful interconnected courtyards defined by incredibly ornate Gothic architecture. We are talking pedal-to-the-floor, all out Hogwarts here. read more

Rockefeller Chapel has become more than just a beautiful place, useful for University events that have a spiritual dimension, or simply require its capacity. It has become a venue for events that are also open to, and enriching to, the community. It has always been the location for the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service--which, even as a rather areligious person, I have always enjoyed. Now, however, it hosts yoga and meditation classes--and even a drum circle--in the amazing setting of the Chancel. There are also interesting art exhibits and performances that make wonderful use of the space. I saw a Red Moon production of the Hunchback of Notre Dame there, that would not have been so incredibly effective anywhere else. The excellence of the Chapel Choir and the organist (and organ) has even brought me to services. The evening concerts and choral series feature highly accomplished, and often unusual, performers and pieces--and are often free or very reasonably priced for community members. Evensong on selected Sunday evenings has occasionally rescued my nerves from life's onslaughts, and the liberal use of the carillon has sometimes made my trek home from work an enchantment. Kudos to Elizabeth Davenport, the new(ish) Dean! Checkout their Website. There always seems to be something wonderful going on. read more

We arrived around 11:00 AM to find the doors wide open. A staff member advised us that we could go on a tour of the carillon tower at 11:30. So we took them up on that. What a great experience.The tour takes you up the narrow winding stone staircase all the way to the top. But on the way, the guide, John, explains the history and provenance of the carillon. You get to climb around in hollow spaces above and around the bells and all the mechanics. It all felt very Quasimodo. As you climb through all of this stone and steel, you wonder how they ever got it all up here. Huge brass bells, weighing several tons, all the way from Europe. When they needed tuning. they were removed, shipped back to Belgium and returned. As you wind your way to the very top, you learn about how the bells are played-that's where Joan comes in. She's been playing them for about 25 years. Then you can walk outside in four directions to catch a fantastic view of Hyde Park, the lake and the neighborhoods. Top that off with a performance or playing of the carillon by Joan which takes place from noon to 12:30 everyday. These folks' enthusiasm about the tower and its history and place within the University is contagious. And probably one of the more unique and intimate free tours in the city. read more