After decades of silence, the bell at one Auburn landmark will toll later this month to mark a special occasion for the site.
The Willard Memorial Chapel will celebrate its 130th anniversary on October 26. Executive Director Sydney Fischer told Finger Lakes News Radio that the anniversary is not only a celebration of the past but also a preview of things to come.
“We are so excited to be celebrating 130 years. The Community Preservation Committee is now more eager than anything to start restoration projects on the exterior and interior of the Willard Chapel to enhance the Tiffany [Chapel]. The Tiffany stenciling and repainting the Tiffany walls is a huge project for us in 2025 and 2026 but we are so lucky to have the Tiffany Treasure of the Fingerlakes here in History’s Hometown.”
The chapel will hold an open house from 11:00a-4:00p to mark the special occasion. The event is free and open to the public. A programming schedule can be found below:
- 11:00a-12:00p: Enjoy refreshments, and light snacks and have a chance to talk to some Community Preservation Committee Board Members
- 12:00-2:00p: Watch the PBS special “The Tiffany Treasure that Touched the World” inside Willard Chapel
- 2:00-3:00p: Brief History of Willard Chapel and Q&A with Executive Director Sydney Fischer
- 3:00-3:30p: Organ Concert with Susan May
- 3:30-4:00p: Hear the Willard Chapel bell ring for the first time in decades!
There will also be a silent auction with proceeds going toward the maintenance of the historic site.
Funded by Caroline and Georgiana Willard in memory of their father, Dr Sylvester Willard, the chapel was dedicated to the Auburn Theological Seminary on October 24, 1894. In 2005, the chapel, which contains the world’s last surviving Tiffany installation in its original location, was declared a National Historic Landmark.
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