Statement on Lee Chapel,
National Historic Landmark
Lee Chapel was built under the direction of college president Robert E. Lee in 1867.
It served as a nondenominational gathering space for morning prayer services 6 days a week and quickly became what some have called
“the soul of campus.”
Robert E. Lee was buried in the chapel upon his death in 1870. The university trustees made many significant decisions that week, including to erect a memorial in their late-president’s honor and to keep his basement office exactly as he left it.
The chapel has a very long and central history to the American story, which this page cannot adequately cover in depth. We recommend you read David Cox’s Lee Chapel at 150 for an extensive account.
In 1961, the Department of the Interior designated Lee Chapel as a National Historic Landmark, the highest rank possible for a historic site in the country. While you may read the full report here, we have attached the “Statement of Significance” below:
Lee Chapel is the resting place of Robert E. Lee, Confederate general and southern educator. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia for nearly the entire course of the American Civil War. Following the final Confederate collapse Lee became president of what was then called Washington College in 1866; Lee Chapel is a monument to that later period. Lee's ceaseless efforts to erase the bitter feelings engendered by the Civil War, and to provide the best education possible for the South's young men, are memorialized here.
Since the 1990s, the historic building has averaged upwards of 40,000 visitors a year.
In 2021, the Board of Trustees of Washington and Lee University approved the following resolution:
Lee Chapel will be renamed "University Chapel," in keeping with its original 19th century name of "College Chapel." The board will oversee and approve interior changes to restore its unadorned design and physically separate the auditorium from the Lee family crypt and Lee memorial sculpture.
Several steps have since been taken in the chapel, including the removal of 20 plaques and 2 paintings, the covering-up of an inscription, and — as of the summer 2023 — completion of a wall. Full coverage of these actions can be found on our website.
The Spectator continues to refer to the site as Lee Chapel, National Historic Landmark — or Lee Chapel, for short — in accordance with its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. W&L officials have stated they do not intend to change the federal designation.
A 3-D tour of Lee Chapel prior to the execution of the June 4, 2021 plan may be accessed here.
(Top photo credit, Mark Ozboyd, 2022)
