Porter-Gaud School will host a formal groundbreaking ceremony for a new chapel on May 16th at 4 pm. The ceremony will take place at the site of the new chapel at 300 Albemarle Road at the front of campus across from the Science and Technology Building (click here for a campus map). The chapel will serve as a house of worship and prayer for students and the wider school community.
"Since we moved to our West Ashley campus in the 1960s, building a full-sized chapel has been part of Porter-Gaud’s campus planning and a long-term goal of the school. The new chapel will serve as a visual representation of the school’s commitment to our Episcopal identity and how we live out our mission and core values," said Head of School DuBose Egleston Jr. "We are grateful for the generous donors who are making this project a reality and look forward to creating a space that will immerse us in the traditions, stories, and values that anchor our community."
Mindfully designed in the style of the original St. Timothy’s Chapel on the former Porter Military Academy campus, the new 7,884 square-foot chapel will seat 600 people and create opportunities for fellowship, discussion, contemplation, and worship. In addition to being used for weekly chapel services, the new building will provide space for meetings, classes, performances, and community events and will feature a sanctuary space, a multi-purpose room, two new classrooms, three chaplain’s offices, and state-of-the-art acoustics and lighting, as well as a tranquil garden and terrace space for reflection and prayer.
The project will also feature a redesigned Watchtower to honor the school’s founder, The Rev. Dr. Anthony Toomer Porter.
“In the midst of life’s many chances and changes, the chapel will be a joyful sacred space where we may find rest in God’s eternal changelessness and open up our lives to his amazing grace and unending love,” said the Reverend Palmer Kennedy, Head Chaplain.
Construction on the new chapel is scheduled to be completed in 2025. Trident Construction is the general contractor for the project and will handle the site preparation. McMillan Pazdan Smith is the project architect.
The Porter-Gaud Board of Trustees and Foundation members will participate in the groundbreaking ceremony along with the chaplains, faculty, staff, and students. Porter-Gaud’s choirs will also perform.
