New elevator meets historic chapel

If you were seeing King Chapel for the first time, you would never know that the elevator installed this spring wasn’t part of architect Cass Chapman’s original Victorian Gothic design. That was the idea behind using limestone from the same quarry the original builders used. The elevator, funded with support from Charles Warden ’41 and Evelyn Steinway Spletter ’43, in honor of their respective spouses, Ruth Ohlsen Warden ’41 and Charles Spletter ’41, makes King Chapel more accessible for alumni and guests who might have trouble climbing the 28 steep stairs from the entrance to the auditorium.

“Because of their contributions, we’re able to ensure that a building finished in 1882 remains a vital part of campus well into the 21st century,” said Cornell President Jonathan Brand.