Forum on Future Use of Old Chapel Planned by Chronicle staff Feb. 25, 2000 A public forum to discuss the re-use of the Old Chapel is being held Monday, Feb. 28, 4-6 p.m. in 165-69 Lincoln Campus Center. The discussion is open to the campus community. Organized by the Facilities Planning Division, the meeting is intended to provide information about the history of the Old Chapel, discuss the building re-use study now underway and solicit comments from the campus community. The forum is the first in a series of three meetings to be held during the process of re-opening the building, which was closed in 1997 for repairs and renovations. Facilities Planning initiated a building re-use study in November to gain an objective analysis of the potential use of the Old Chapel, which opened in 1886. Led by the Boston office of the S/L/A/M Collaborative, a team of architects and engineers experienced in the analysis, preservation and restoration of historic structures has been assessing the building. The team has already compiled a detailed physical and code evaluation of the facility in order to identify repair, renovation and preservation work that must be completed regardless of the building's future use. According to Cliff Resnick of Facilities Planning, the next step in the study is to identify potential uses for the building. Once the information is gathered, the design team will evaluate the physical, regulatory and financial implications for the suggested uses. The evaluation will provide the information needed to narrow down the potential alternative uses for the chapel. The next forum will discuss those findings and solicit additional public comment. The structure has had a varied history, serving at one time as the campus library. Prior to its closing, Old Chapel housed the Minuteman Marching Band. Over the past two and one-half years, the upper portion of the 1892 clock tower was reconstructed and the clock faces were restored. The bells were also recast and returned to the tower. The tower reconstruction project received a 1999 Massachusetts Historical Commission preservation award. In the months ahead, the expansion of the carillon and restoration of the original clock mechanism are planned.