St. Joan of Arc Chapel Historic Structure Report
- Preservation Planning
- Education
- Assessments
- Cultural Resources
TKWA engaged McGuire Igleski on behalf of Marquette University to prepare a Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the St. Joan of Arc Chapel before undertaking future rehabilitation work at the chapel. The chapel was originally constructed during the 15th century in France, before being dismantled and shipped to the United States in 1926-1927.
At Marquette University, the chapel continues to serve its original function as a place of worship. As stewards for the preservation of this unique and historic structure, Marquette University undertook the HSR to create a comprehensive document on the building, enabling informed decisions on future repairs, improvements, and maintenance. The HSR provides information on the history and development of the chapel, its architects and builders, existing conditions, and recommendations for repair and restoration. Prioritized recommendations for items to be restored and modernized, along with upgrades for code compliance and the replacement of deteriorated or antiquated systems, were included with preliminary costs. The HSR was used as the basis for the restoration of the chapel in 2021-2022.
Photos: TKWA
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Marquette University
1,170 square feet
The Kubala Washatko Architects (TKWA)
Architectural Consulting Engineers (ACE)
Millen Roofing Company
raSmith
Historic Surfaces LLC
CD Smith
2024 Professional Award from the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
2022 Honor Award for Religious Architecture-Restoration from Partners for Sacred Places
Originally known as Chapelle de St. Martin de Seyssuel, the St. Joan of Arc Chapel was constructed around 1420 in the community of Chasse-sur-Rhône in southeastern France. Due to the ongoing deterioration of the old structure, construction of a new church began in 1889. The ringing of the bells in the old belfry stopped on February 18, 1900, and by the end of the following year, St. Martin de Seyssuel church was abandoned.
In the late 1920s, Jacques Couelle, a young architect from Aix-en-Provence, France, discovered the ruins of the chapel and prepared dimensioned drawings and photographs of the remaining cut and sculpted stones so they could be disassembled and subsequently reconstructed. The chapel ruins were then purchased by Gertrude Hill-Gavin, the daughter of James J. Hill, American railroad baron. Enamored with the story of Joan of Arc, Gavin renamed the chapel in honor of the young French saint.
The first shipment of remnants left France in February 1927 and were shipped to Gavin’s estate, Graenan, in Long Island, New York, where prominent architect John Russell Pope was responsible for the reconstruction. In 1962, Gavin sold the chateau and chapel to Marc Rojtman, president of J.I. Case, and his wife Lillian. Five days before they were due to move in, the house was ravaged by fire, but the attached chapel escaped undamaged. The Rojtmans sought a new home for the surviving chapel and wrote to former president Rev. Edward J. O’Donnell, S.J., offering it to Marquette University, where they believed their gift would be appreciated for its historical and artistic value, functionality, and unique status.
Workers spent nine months carefully dismantling the chapel on Long Island and marking each of its stones before loading them onto a fleet of semis bound for Milwaukee. The first shipment of the twice disassembled chapel arrived in Milwaukee on January 31, 1965. The reconstruction of the chapel at Marquette University was designed by French architect Ernest Bonnamy, of the New York architectural firm of Kahn & Jacobs. The dedication of the St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University occurred on May 26, 1966.