Rollins Renovated, Reopened, Rededicated

On Thursday, January 26, the Tucker Center opened the newly renovated Rollins Chapel to the public and hosted a rededication ceremony to commemorate the occasion. The Chapel had been closed since the College’s imposition of a COVID lockdown in March 2020, and its reopening on the 26th thus presented the first opportunity for undergraduates younger than the ’23s to set foot inside. 

Remarkably, it would seem that the renovations performed at Rollins while it was closed were merely an afterthought on the part of the College. Renovation work on the Chapel did not begin until June 2022, more than two years after it was shut down amidst the pandemic and almost a year after the College reinstituted in-person classes.

Such a lack of construction work undertaken by the College during the pandemic, or certainly during its waning months and immediate aftermath, remains a mystery to many. In addition to the Rollins updates, projects such as the renovation of Dartmouth Hall and the construction of new student housing were left largely dormant. Overall, the pandemic was a missed opportunity for the College to undertake construction work without appreciably impacting or otherwise intruding into campus life.

Despite the Chapel’s additional, and, in our view, preventable, time spent closed post-pandemic—hence it did not reopen for a sum total of nearly three years—we can state definitively that Rollins has benefited from the renovations which it received. These renovations included two major updates: the installation of a new ventilation system, and the replacement of the Chapel’s noisy, antiquated steam-pipe heating with radiant heating.

Fortunately, as they were mechanical rather than structural or aesthetic changes, the renovations in question are indiscernible. To this end, Rollins’ appearance remains as it was prior to these renovations—which is to say, a largely accurate representation of the original Chapel’s intriguing appearance.

Indeed, Rollins Chapel has a distinctive look to it, having been built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style (of which the exemplar is Trinity Church in Boston’s Copley Square). The Chapel was designed by one John Lyman Faxon, an adherent of Henry Hobson Richardson, the celebrated architect who pioneered this style.

Rollins Chapel was named for its benefactor, the lawyer and politician Edward Ashton Rollins, and was dedicated in 1885 as a place of mandatory (Congregationalist) Christian worship for students, its floor plan resembling a Greek cross. 

Just some two decades later, in 1908 and 1912, the Chapel had to be expanded to accommodate continued growth in the College’s undergraduate population. Ultimately, however, Dartmouth ceased to enforce mandatory services at the Chapel starting in 1925. 

In 1965, Rollins Chapel underwent rebuilding and restructuring, and its seats were controversially turned around to face the rear apse of the Chapel. In the early 1980s, the west wall had to be rebuilt owing to erosion. And, in 1985-86, on the occasion of its centennial, the entire Chapel was renovated so as to return it to as close an approximation of the original as was possible. 

This striking pink granite building, trimmed with red sandstone, has been a landmark at Dartmouth since its 1885 dedication. While originally a landmark of specifically the Christian faith, today it stands as the preeminent example of Dartmouth’s interfaith commitment. Such, then, is that which the Tucker Center primarily sought to communicate in its rededication ceremony on the 26th.

The ceremony began with a prelude on the organ. As we sat facing what we thought was the pulpit, we realized that the original placement was actually directly behind us. We are sure the Congregationalists would be horrified to learn that, as things are presently and have been since 1965, the organist not only sits behind the congregants but faces away from them—that is, faces the wall. 

The long opening prayer was delivered in the Muslim Tradition: “Calling the Adhan.” After the prayer, there followed an alternating series of musical interludes and readings or prayers from various faiths. These included Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Zen Buddhist. The ceremony came to a close with some thoughtful remarks delivered by Tucker Center Director and College Chaplain The Rev. Dr. Nancy A.G. Vogele. 

Liturgical citations aside, we wish to comment on the musical interludes, which, in keeping with the inclusive atmosphere, celebrated the general soul-searching aspects of many “faithful” college students. Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” received a saxophone rendition. “Some people want it all, but I don’t want nothing at all, if it ain’t got you, baby,” go the lyrics of Keys’ song. We reasoned that the “you” in question could refer to the deities of various faiths. However, moving away from the overanalysis to which we humanities majors are conditioned, we ultimately saw the song choice—and indeed, most of the interludes, while uniformly well done—more as a means of passing the time and bookending the various proclamations issued at the lectern.

One musical interlude that we did particularly appreciate was a rendition of “In the Garden,” performed by a student bluegrass band. Their approach to the performance was thoughtful and lighthearted, and, most importantly, they didn’t take too long. 

Finally, we will add that, sitting in the Rollins Chapel, we were impelled to ask ourselves, “What’s in a name?” Rollins Chapel might have been rededicated and its present, interfaith nature reaffirmed, but it is still not the “Rollins Center” or the “Rollins Place.” To be sure, Rollins contains multitudes: the more conservative musical performances of the Hopkins Center; the only Hindu temple in the Upper Valley; and active representation from any number of faiths. Despite this, and although Rollins Chapel might not contain a single visual representation of Jesus Christ, the history of the building remains in its name. While the term “interfaith” implies and indeed necessitates to some extent the embrace of a secular presentation, the Chapel, named as such, will always be unable to fully eschew its foundational identity.