By David Eck

DAYTON DEANERY – As part of a master plan for the University of Dayton campus, a committee is taking preliminary steps to renovate historic Immaculate Conception Chapel — for many, the heart of UD’s campus.

The committee — made up of stakeholders such as the Marianists, students, alumni, faculty, and staff — has selected a liturgical consultant. An architectural firm should be chosen by March.

The liturgy is the heart of the renovation, officials said.

COURTESY PHOTO

The Immaculate Conception chapel at the University of Dayton.

The goal is to create a space that will "enrich the faith life of the university community," said Marianist Father Chris Wittmann, director of campus ministry. "We hope it will be space that really enhances the prayer life and the liturgical life of the university community."

The renovation will seek to enlarge the chapel, built in 1869, in order to enable a full celebration of the sacraments, while maintaining the building’s architectural integrity, Father Wittmann said. The chapel has no baptismal font, no gathering area, narrow aisles, and limited space around the altar.

The building is considered the hub of the UD campus, and generations of students, alumni and others have a strong attachment to it. It is one of the most photographed buildings on campus.

Over the decades Marianist brothers have professed or renewed religious vows in the chapel. The building has also been the site of weddings and engagements of students and graduates, and funerals.

"It’s the most treasured building on campus," Father Wittmann said. "The strong desire is to find a way to enlarge it while maintaining its historical and architectural integrity. That’s our biggest challenge."

In addition to protecting the architectural integrity of the stone-and-brick building, the renovation should enhance its aesthetic value.

The committee is designing a process that will include a broad cross-section of the university community.

"We’re still early in the process. We’ve not done any drawings or any designs," Father Wittmann said. "This is all just laying the groundwork."

There is no timetable for the renovation, but commitments to reserve the chapel for events beyond January 1, 2009, are not being made, officials said.

The committee is also seeking temporary space to use while the chapel is being renovated.

Costs for the project are still being evaluated.

The chapel’s last major renovation was from 1969-71, which simplified the interior. Minor renovations occurred in the mid-1980s and in 2001.

The university last week announced a master plan for the 259-acre campus.

Among the envisioned projects that could come to fruition over the next decade and beyond are: a new University Center for the Arts and arts plaza on Brown Street across from Holy Angels Church; A STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) building, possibly connected to Wohlleben Hall, one of UD’s science buildings; and a mixed-use building on the corner of Brown and Stewart streets.

"It is an extraordinary time of opportunity," said UD president Daniel J. Curran. "We are shaping our future as one of the nation’s preeminent Catholic universities while continuing to invest millions of dollars annually in a learning-living environment that supports academic excellence and innovation."