Dahlgren Undergoes Restoration

Georgetown's Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart is undergoing a two-year restoration that will address the 118-year old chapel's foundation and other structural issues.

A worker removes a panel of stained glass that makes up an image of St. Aloysius of Gonzaga from a window in Dahlgren Chapel.

Another worker cuts out loosely woven scrims to temporarily replace the removed stained glass images while they are being repaired.

Dahlgren Chapel's original construction came through a gift from John Dahlgren (C'1888, L' 1891) and his wife, Elizabeth. Here, the university holds the chapel's cornerstone laying ceremony on May 19, 1892.

Georgetown completed construction of the chapel in 1893.

Stained-glass from Munich, Germany, sits above the high altar. The design was completed just before the chapel's consecration in June 1893.

Today, there are more than 16 stained glass windows inside the chapel, which is the site for the university's daily Mass, other sacraments and weddings.

Members of the Georgetown community gather in an open Dahlgren Quadrangle in this photograph from 1922.

The university added a fountain to Dahlgren Quadrangle in 1989. The university's bicentennial marked the last major renovation of Dahlgren, but smaller repairs of the foundation and roof as well as equipment and code upgrades have taken place over the past few decades.

Dahlgren Chapel will remain open during the restoration process with the exception of a few hours during weekdays.

Dahlgren's $7.5 million restoration is possible because of a $6 million gift from Francis (C'75, L'78) and Kathleen (SFS'77) Rooney and other contributors.