Built in the early 15th century in France, the St. Joan of Arc Chapel was purchased and transported to the U.S., where it was eventually donated to Marquette University as a special gift. The chapel enriches the Marquette University campus and inspires those who step through its doors. Students, faculty, and alumni embrace the chapel for worship, community, and academic learning. As part of an extensive renovation project, the landscape architect collaborated with the client and other stakeholders to renovate and redevelop a beautiful site design for the chapel.

 

Many of the site and landscape elements were in disrepair. The old, irregular bluestone paving around the chapel and fountain was heaved and deteriorated with missing stones and cracked and uneven mortar joints. The landscape architect provided design services that incorporated limestone paving to improve the safety and match the previously installed Marian grotto paving near the chapel. This same stone paving was carried into the chapel when the floor was replaced, giving the entire site and chapel space visual continuity. However, the remaining site concrete and stone steps did not meet current ADA requirements, and the limestone steps were also in disrepair. A new paving plan and steps/ramps were designed to provide accessibility to visitors of all abilities to enjoy the site, chapel, renovated fountain, and gardens. Reinforced, color-matched concrete replaced the dilapidated limestone steps and landings for safety and longevity.

 

There were many existing trees on the site that were diseased (old crabapple), in decline, or had structural and girdling root issues. Several mature trees were retained and protected, including a grove of hackberry and some honey locust trees. New deciduous shade trees were planted, including ironwood, American linden, sugar maple, and several smaller, ornamental trees. The ironwood trees formed an allée that bracketed each side of the chapel and created a visual rhythm throughout the site.

 

The existing mortared stone walls that were built in the 1960s were mostly intact but needed a lot of attention due to fracture cracks, loose cap stone, and some bulging from frost expansion, poor drainage, and a lack of coping flashing. The walls were surveyed and laser scanned to build a model of the existing conditions and to develop a plan standard on the repair protocols, so the contractor could ascertain the extent of the repair work. The walls were tuckpointed; caps were repaired; proper flashing installed; and parts of the walls were dismantled and rebuilt in whole, reusing the existing limestone veneer.

 

There are three existing ancient stone urns on the site that remained in place due to the risk and expense of attempting to move them, so they were incorporated into the garden design. The relocation of planting beds away from direct contact with the chapel’s exterior walls reduces moisture-wicking issues through the walls to the interior of the chapel.

 

Most of the existing plantings were dated, overgrown, or underwhelming and in need of replacement. However, one of the very special seasonal events of the chapel gardens is in spring when thousands of tulip bulbs blossom, bringing a huge splash of color to the site after a long winter. These bulbs were saved and replanted in the gardens to the greatest extent possible for future site visitors and students to enjoy. The new garden areas were replenished with organic soil amendments and planted with a variety of shrubs, grasses, and perennials to provide seasonal interest and texture to the landscape. Many of the perennials were chosen based on typical colors and hues found in French gardens, including pinks, purples, white, and burgundy.

 

At the east end of the chapel site, a special garden was designed to recognize the donors of the renovation project and named the Gratitude Garden. This area provides a meandering gravel path and space for quiet reflection and prayer. The design of the garden space was inspired by the form of “opening arms” to welcome visitors and embrace the campus. A plaque was designed by a local artist to recognize the donors, and it is elegantly displayed for guests entering the site from the east.

 

Overall, the chapel’s new site design improves access and function while embracing the history and character that is celebrated by Marquette University students, faculty, and guests. This project has received positive feedback from the community, representing a significant and successful collaboration between multiple design disciplines, stakeholders, and contractors to renovate and preserve a historic chapel for future generations.