Fisk Memorial Chapel, 2019. Image courtesy of MHCF.

Clinton B. Fisk. Image courtesy of Dickinson College Archives.

Original Fisk Jubilee Singers in 1871. Image courtesy of Tennessee Virtual Archive.

Historical marker in front of Fisk Memorial Chapel, 2019. Image courtesy of MHCF.

A postcard of Fisk Memorial Chapel, c. 1930. Image courtesy of Nashville Public Library.

Fisk University faculty in front of the Memorial Chapel, 1946. Left to right: John Wesley Work III, Harold Smith, Rev. William J. Faulkner, Theodore Yoder, Rev. Lyman Cady, Mayme U. Foster, Dr. Charles S. Johnson, Helen Young Davis, A. A. Taylor, Arna Bontemps, I. T. Creswell, and George St. John. Image courtesy of Nashville Public Library.

Fisk Memorial Chapel in the late 1920s, taken by student William Henry Fort, Jr. Courtesy of the Tennessee Virtual Archive.

Image courtesy of Fisk University, John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Special Collections.

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Fisk Memorial Chapel, 2019. Image courtesy of MHCF.

Fisk University and Meharry Medical College

Stop 5 of 21

Fisk Memorial Chapel

At the heart of the university is the Fisk Memorial Chapel, completed in 1892. General Clinton B. Fisk and his wife, Geanette, (pronounced Janette) strongly supported the development of spiritual life on campus. To this end, upon his death he bequeathed funds for the construction of a chapel. Architect William Bigelow—a founder of the architectural firm that became McKim, Meade, and White—designed the building. The beautiful exterior is matched by its stunning interior with high-domed ceilings and exposed supports. A balcony extends on three sides with a pipe organ. Over the entrance doors is an inspiring verse from Isaiah Chapter 60: “Arise shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”

Fisk Memorial Chapel serves as home to many Fisk traditions. For well over a century, it has hosted university-sponsored events including concerts, religious services, academic convocations, lectures, conferences, and graduation exercises. National and foreign leaders have been received and honored here. Here’s a short list just to name a few: the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Thurgood Marshall, Booker T. Washington, Louis Armstrong, W. C. Handy, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Nat King Cole, Merle Haggard, Robert Altman, John Hope Franklin, and Bell Hooks. Of course, the chapel is also the main performance venue for the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers, whose history is celebrated here annually on October 6th.

Turn RIGHT onto Phillips Street and walk about half a block until you reach Park-Johnson Hall on your left. This is your next stop.

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Tour Stops

Livingstone Hall, Samuel McElwee, Ella Sheppard Moore

1701 Jackson St., Nashville, TN 37208

Isaiah T. Creswell House and Thomas Talley House

914 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Fisk Gates and John Hope and Aurelia Elizabeth Franklin Memorial Library

1012 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Harris Music Building and Cravath Hall

1000 17th Ave. N. Nashville, TN 37208

Fisk Memorial Chapel

1000 17th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208

Park-Johnson Hall and Cordie Cheek

1699-1601 Phillips St., Nashville, TN 37208

Spence Hall, Shane Hall, and John Wesley Work

1020 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Jubilee Hall

1000 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37208

Minnie Lou Crosthwaite and Dora Ann Scribner

1700 17th Ave. N, Nashville, TN 37208

Carnegie Academic Building and Talley-Brady Hall

1741 Meharry Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208

Little Theatre and Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery

998 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208

W.E.B. DuBois Statue, Fisk Memorial Bell, and DuBois Hall

1000 17th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208

Notable Alumni and Faculty

912 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd., Nashville TN 37208

Hulda Margaret Lyttle

1005 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208

Meharry Medical College and Dr. D.B. Todd Blvd.

1005 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208

St. Anselm's Church and the Home of Z. Alexander Looby

2099-2015 Meharry Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208

Dr. Harold Dadford West

1005 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208

Cal Turner Family Center for Student Education

1011 21st Ave. North, Nashville TN 37208

Kresge Learning Resource Center

2001 Albion St., Nashville TN 37208

Nashville General Hospital

1818 Albion Street, Nashville, TN 37208

Dr. Dorothy Brown

1802 Albion Street, Nashville TN 37208

Full Record & Citation

Title Fisk Memorial Chapel

Creator Nashville Historical Foundation

Author Trey Stone, Belmont University; 2020

Date 1892;1992

Address 1000 17th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208

Description Erected in 1892, the Fisk Memorial Chapel was designed by William B. Bigelow of New York City and constructed from funds left by Fisk founder General Clinton B. Fisk. The chapel seats almost 800 and has hosted many cultural functions including concerts, academic convocations, lectures, and graduation exercises. Public figures who have spoken or performed here include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., bell hooks, Thurgood Marshall, Duke Ellington, and Booker T. Washington. It is also the home performance site for the Jubilee Singers. The chapel was restored in 1992, and re-dedicated in celbration of its 100th anniversary. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Type Building

Coverage Area 4

Source William B. Bigelow, architect

Contributor Fisk Jubilee Singers; Gen. Clinton B. Fisk; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ; Walter Holtkamp Sr.; National Park Service ; Tennessee Historical Commission ; Fisk University

Subject African Americans; Architecture; Art; Civil War and Reconstruction; National Register of Historic Places; Education; Music; Events; Neighborhoods

Keywords Buildings, Victorian Architecture , Colleges, Universities, Live Music, Event Venue, Fisk University, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, North Nashville

Rights CC BY-NC 4.0

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