Ionic Hall (1800-1804) and St. Luke’s Chapel (1903)

About This Project

The parish of St. Johns St. James is a collection of two buildings on the northern edge of Roxbury’s John Eliot Square: Ionic Hall and St. Luke’s Chapel.

Ionic Hall is Roxbury’s oldest brick building, built between 1800-1804. The building was designed in the Federal Style by Captain Stoddard of Hingham as a home for his daughter, Sally Hammond. By 1876, the house had been purchased by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts who had opened St. Luke’s Convalescent Home there. St. Luke’s Chapel, a Gothic Revival style chapel, was designed by Ralph Adams Cram and was constructed in 1903. The structure is accented by a wooden reredos and cross decoration by the Boston-based wood carver Johannes Kirchmayer, a frequent Cram collaborator. Ionic Hall was used for worship and meetings, its upper floors are vacant and have suffered from water damage in recent years. St. Luke’s is a greater challenge. It has had severe water penetration through holes in the roof, and the interior has suffered substantial deterioration and damage.

More information about St. Lukes and Ionic Hall:

HBI Team Plots Course For Rehabilitating St. Luke’s Chapel And Ionic Hall

The Art Of Faith: Allan Rohan Crite At St. John St. James Parish, Roxbury

How Roxbury’s Ionic Hall And St. Luke’s Chapel Became The Church Of St. John St. James