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| Old St. Mary's Chapel |
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Visiting Old St. Mary's Chapel today, one will find a gorgeous sanctuary, restored while not straying from its original look. From the windows, chandeliers, and doors to the painted wall mural, it all displays the historical integrity and the intricate work done
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Old St. Mary's Chapel
It is the oldest standing building in Rocklin. Built in 1883, Old St. Mary's Chapel has been completely restored, even picked up and moved from its original location, thanks to the dedicated work of the Rocklin Historical Society. For about 100 years the chapel operated as a Catholic Church, but starting in 1995 it sat desolate for 10 years. President of the Rocklin Historical Society, Roger Lokey, has been there since the beginning of the restoration project, when the chapel used to sit only a short walking distance from where it stands now. "The property owner wanted to tear the building down, but instead it worked out to have the chapel donated to us," explained Lokey. He said before the historical society obtained the building, structural engineers came through and said it was far sounder than it looked. So in 2005 the chapel was picked up and moved a few hundred feet away to reside at its new location.
Visiting Old St. Mary's Chapel today, one will find a gorgeous sanctuary, restored while not straying from its original look. From the windows, chandeliers, and doors to the painted wall mural, it all displays the historical integrity and the intricate work done—which is what makes this chapel so special to the city of Rocklin. It took two years, numerous hours of volunteer work, and thousands of donations to get the chapel back to what it looks like today. Walking up the front steps you are greeted by two tall large doors that once hung on the Joel Whitney Parker Mansion. Once through the doors the gorgeous candle chandeliers delicately hang the entire length of the aisle. Each wall has long vertical windows that are each topped with a gothic look triangle top. The chapel even has 95 percent of its original wood inside. The floors have to be one of the most beautiful sights inside, which were found underneath three layers of other flooring. Even a segment of a movie was filmed in the chapel featuring the magnificent floors. The chapel also had the charming bell in the tower replaced with a much bigger, better fitting bell, which was donated by another area church.
Small and simplistic, yet elegant, the chapel had to go through a lot of work to get it to how it looks today. Lokey says when the society first obtained the building there were hundreds of bees living inside. There were parts that were weather rotted and a new roof was put on for structural reinforcement. "Our philosophy for restoring this building is that everything done to it will allow this chapel to stand for 100 years.”
Though Old St. Mary's Chapel does not operate as a church, it does hold weddings and piano recitals. "How many people can get married today in a place and come back years later with their children to show them where their wedding was," says Lokey. "What an amazing thing to have your own children get married in the same chapel their parents wed in."
For more information on the chapel visit www.OldStMarysChapel.com or call (916) 415-1150.
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Posted on Nov 17, 2009 23:10pm by admin
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