Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees Chapel

The Chapel was named after Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees (1841-1924). After a 17-year year engagement, she married Ralph Voorhees in 1887. The couple became philanthropists and spent the remainder of their lives distributing her inheritances from her father and brother. Their philanthropic activities extended from Asia to nearly all 50 states. In addition to the Ralph Voorhees Library at Rutgers, dedicated in 1903, Voorhees bequeathed the remainder of her estate to the New Jersey College for Women, later known as Douglass College. The donation was ultimately used to construct and maintain Voorhees Chapel. The chapel is constructed chiefly in brick and is an example of Colonial Revival architecture, popular from 1900-1920. Colonial Revival incorporates Neoclassical elements, visible here in the front portico supported by Corinthian columns and topped by a triangular pediment. The chapel is not open to the public, but hosts special events.