Ionic Hall (1800-1804) and St. Luke’s Chapel (c.1901)

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 circa 1901. 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.

HBI continues to collaborate with the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts on the rehabilitation of Ionic Hall and have recently identified a feasible approach to preserve and further develop the historic 1801 structure and 1960 addition. St. Luke’s Chapel is nearing the end of a four year long rehabilitation that has restored the sanctuary space with a fully accessible basement that now holds restrooms and a kitchenette.

More information about St. Lukes and Ionic Hall:

Wenda Kochanowski sheds light on her restoration of reredos in St. Luke’s Chapel

St. Luke’s restored windows gleam

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