Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel (Washington, D.C.)
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Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel
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Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel in 2008
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| Location | 29th and R Streets NW Washington, D.C. United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°54′46″N 77°3′32″W / 38.91278°N 77.05889°WCoordinates: 38°54′46″N 77°3′32″W / 38.91278°N 77.05889°W |
| Built | 1850 |
| Architect | James Renwick, Jr. |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Part of | Georgetown Historic District (#67000025) |
| NRHP Reference # | 72001429 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 16, 1972 |
| Designated NHLDCP | May 28, 1967 |
The Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel, also known as the Renwick Chapel or James Renwick Chapel, is a historic building in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. Designed by James Renwick, Jr. in 1850, Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel is the architect's only known example of Gothic Revival church architecture in Washington, D.C. It is located on the highest ridge in Oak Hill Cemetery, near the intersection of 29th and R Streets NW. The chapel is one of two structures in Oak Hill Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the other being the Van Ness Mausoleum. The chapel, mausoleum, and cemetery are contributing properties to the Georgetown Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.
On June 7, 1848, businessman and philanthropist William Wilson Corcoran (1798–1888) purchased Parrott's Woods, a 15-acre (6.1 ha) forest overlooking Rock Creek Park, from Lewis Washington, great-grandnephew of President George Washington. Corcoran organized a company to establish a cemetery, and on March 3, 1849, the Oak Hill Cemetery Company was chartered by an Act of Congress.
Architect James Renwick, Jr. (1818–1895) was chosen to design a small chapel for the new cemetery. Renwick, whose best known works include Grace Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Corcoran Gallery of Art (currently the Renwick Gallery), began designing the chapel soon after he had finished the plans for the Smithsonian Institution Building. The cost of constructing Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel was $9,400, which was paid by Corcoran.
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