CANDLER SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY.
Candler School of Theology Buildings and Facilities collection, 1917-2015

Restrictions on Access

Unrestricted access.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Source

Transfer from Candler School of Theology offices.

Citation

[after identification of item(s)], Candler School of Theology Buildings and Facilities collection, CSTA 008, Archives and Manuscript Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.

Processing

Processed by Brandon Wason, March 2017.

Scope and Content Note

This is an artificial collection containing materials related to the buildings of Candler School of Theology, past and present. These are materials related to planning, design, and construction of these facilities rather than the activities taking place in these buildings. For instance, information regarding functions taking place in Cannon Chapel would more likely be found in the Office of Worship collection.

The following buildings are included in this collection, arranged by alphabetical order.

Bishops Hall (or Bishops Hall for Theological Studies) was named for the Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church. Construction began on January 4, 1957. Bishops Hall was consecrated on September, 20, 1957 and dedicated on January 21, 1965. The building contained classrooms, administrative offices, as well as faculty offices. It was vacated in 2008 when the School of Theology moved into its current building (CST Phase I), known as the Rita Anne Rollins Building. Bishops Hall was demolished in the spring of 2013 in order to make way for CST Phase II, the new Pitts Theology Library.

Cannon Chapel (or William R. Cannon Chapel) was named after the former dean and bishop, William Ragsdale Cannon. In 1976, Durham Chapel (along with the other spaces in the original Theology Building) were converted into a library, which necessitated the design and construction of a new chapel. Cannon Chapel was designed by brutalist architect, Paul Rudolph. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on August 30, 1979 which included an address by then President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. The chapel was consecrated on September 30, 1981. The John Rustin Teaching Chapel, part of Cannon Chapel, was dedicated on March 14, 1982.

CST Phase I and II buildings refer to the current location of Candler School of Theology's offices, classrooms, and library. CST Phase I, completed in 2008, is a 65,000 square foot facility that contains faculty offices, administrative offices, classroom space, and the offices for Emory's Center for Ethics. In 2013, the building was named after Rita Anne Rollins. CST Phase II, completed in 2014, is an adjacent building to Phase I, but connected through a glass atrium. CST Phase II includes Pitts Theology Library, the teaching chapel, an outdoor space, and the atrium.

The Theology Building (or The School of Theology Building), erected in 1915, was one of the two original structures at Emory's Druid Hills campus. The other was the Lamar School of Law Building (now Carlos Hall), which was opposite of the School of Theology building and mirrored its architecture. The Theology Building was designed by architect Henry Hornbostel, who was responsible for the initial masterplan of the Emory's campus. The first two classes of Candler School of Theology met at the Wesley Memorial Building in Atlanta during the initial construction period of the Druid Hills campus. The third Candler class was the first to occupy the School of Theology building in the fall of 2016. The building's original function included providing classrooms; offices for faculty, administration, and staff; a modest library; and a chapel. The Chapel was dedicated on May 27, 1917 and later (May 30, 1930) named after Plato Durham (1873-1930), the first Dean of Candler. Other early functions of the building included temporary space for liberal arts instruction and the housing of the 70,000-volume library of Emory College while the Asa Griggs Candler Library building was being constructed. After the acquisition of the 220,000 volume Hartford Collection, Candler needed more space for its library, thus the School of Theology enlisted Paul Rudolph to redesign the space in order to convert it into a library. Pitts Theology Library was dedicated in November of 1976. In 2014, the library was vacated and moved into the current CST building. For building projects related to Pitts Theology Library, see also CSTA 005.

Trimble Hall (originally Wesley Hall) was built as a men's dormitory to accommodate the growing population of Candler students during the deanship of Henry Burton Trimble (1937–1953). After Trimble's death, the name of Wesley Hall was changed to Trimble Hall and dedicated on January 19, 1967. The building later became undergraduate housing and then in 2012 was demolished to make way for new freshman dorms.

Turner Village (The D. Abbott Turner Village) was Candler School of Theology's housing and conference center. It was originally the Clifton Court Apartments, which Emory University acquired and reserved for Candler's use. Turner Village opened in 1989 with 100 units and was named after D. Abbott Turner of Columbus, Georgia. In 2007, Turner Village was vacated and subsequently destroyed to make way for Emory Point.

Arrangement Note

Organized into six series based on the alphabetical title of the building: (1) Bishops Hall, (2) Cannon Chapel, (3) CST Phase I and II, (4) Theology Building, (5) Trimble Hall, and (6) Turner Village.