{"nrhp_refnum":"79003234","name":"Packer Memorial Chapel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Packer Avenue, Lehigh University","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bethlehem","county":"Northampton County","state":"PA","lat":40.607645363000074,"lon":-75.37763555999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Packer Memorial Chapel is a Gothic university chapel on the Lehigh University campus in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was given to the university as a memorial to its founder, Asa Packer, by his daughter Mary Packer Cummings, with the cornerstone placed in 1885 and the chapel consecrated in 1887.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the chapel is a significant example of Victorian collegiate Gothic architecture, distinguished from other Lehigh buildings by the richness of its appointments. It cites its tympanum, Tiffany window, rose windows and interior furnishings, and notes that it is the largest church in Bethlehem. It also links the building to the Bach Choir, whose festivals have been held there.","narrative":"Packer Memorial Chapel, built between 1885 and 1887 on the Lehigh University campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was designed by the Philadelphia architect Addison Hutton, who also designed the President's House and Linderman Library at the university. It was given by Mary Packer Cummings as a memorial to her father, Asa Packer, the university's founder. Its Victorian collegiate Gothic design includes a noble tower with gargoyles, a tympanum over the entrance showing Le Bon Dieu between two angels, and wrought iron door hinges ending in serpents' heads. The chancel holds a large Tiffany window of Christ teaching the elders in the temple, and the transepts have rose windows. The building is regarded as the largest church in Bethlehem. It has also long been the home of the Bach Choir, whose yearly festivals outgrew the Central Moravian Church.","period_of_significance":"1600-1699","architect_builder":"Addison Hutton (architect)","architectural_style":"Victorian collegiate Gothic","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.0074-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/79003234.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003234/638040a2e7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003234/638040a2e7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Peter L Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Packer_Chapel_1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Peter L Moore</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Packer_Chapel_1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994650","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packer_Memorial_Chapel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7122946"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/northampton-county/packer-memorial-chapel-79003234/"}