The granite tower of the Old Chapel at UMass Amherst

The Old Chapel at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a historic monument on the National Register of Historic Places. Constructed between 1884 and 1887 by Worcester architect Stephen C. Earle, the roughly square stone structure was designed to serve as a library, museum, and assembly hall. It is made primarily of granite with sandstone trim and a slate roof.

The building features a tower at its southeast corner with an open belfry with rounded arches, gabled peaks with clock faces, and a diagonally set four-sided steeple. While the tower underwent a $1.65 million renovation in 1999, the Old Chapel remained uninhabited since 1996 when the Minuteman Marching Band moved out due to unsafe conditions. In 2015, a campaign to restore and repurpose the interior began, leading to its reopening on March 23, 2017.

The chapel's original bell, "Old Aggie," was added in 1892 but has since been replaced by 44 carillon bells. Today, the structure stands as a preserved piece of the campus, maintained following a movement by alumni and a restoration effort that successfully placed the building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons