03 Aug 2026 St. Luke’s Chapel restoration recognized by Boston Preservation Alliance Award
The restoration of St. Luke’s Chapel in Roxbury continues to be recognized by our local preservation organizations, this time from the Boston Preservation Alliance!
Fresh off recently winning the Paul and Niki Tsongas Award from Preservation Massachusetts, the combined efforts of HBI, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, the Congregation of St. John St. James, Spencer Preservation Group, Gerard O’Doherty Construction, and a range of highly skilled specialist craftspeople are being recognized once again for the rehabilitation of the 1901 St. Luke’s Chapel.
St. Luke’s Chapel sits as one of two historic structures on the campus of St. John St. James, an active worshipping congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The other historic structure on the church campus is Ionic Hall, 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.
In the 1960s, the parishes of St. John and St. James each faced challenging circumstances that led to a merger of the two African American congregations on this site in Roxbury. In 1968, St. John St. James constructed the addition in the rear of Ionic Hall that served as their primary worship space. In recent years, Ionic Hall’s upper floors have been vacant and water damage has been severe throughout.
With the completion of St. Luke’s Chapel, the parish of St. John St. James once again has a space to worship in Roxbury’s historic John Eliot Square.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced that the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund awarded $3 Million in grants to 27 historic sites, one of which is the St. John St. James Episcopal Church Complex in Roxbury!
The grant will allow Historic Boston and the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts to continue engaging architects and engineers in assessing the feasibility of preserving Ionic Hall, the 1800-1804 brick building alongside St. Luke’s Chapel, by way of non-profit office condominium conversion. Sign up for Historic Boston Inc.’s e-newsletter for exciting project updates.
Thank you to all the fantastic partners and craftspeople that made the transformation of St. Luke’s Chapel possible:
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Congregation of St. John, St. James Church
Spencer Preservation Group, Inc.
Gerard O’Doherty Construction
MacLeod Consulting Engineers
LAM Partners
Hancock Engineers
Wozny Barbar & Associates
Folan Waterproofing and Masonry
Wenda Kochanowski Conservation
Serpentino Stained Glass
Jim Anderson Stained Glass
Photo Credit: Flavio Debarros
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