Tag: Hillsdale College

Weigand-Constructed Chapel Wins National Building Award

Posted on March 18, 2025

Christ Chapel at Hillsdale College, located in south-central Michigan, is gaining national recognition for its classical beauty and the craftsmanship behind its construction.

Built by Weigand Construction, the chapel was awarded Best Brick & Stone Project at the 2025 International Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers (BAC)Craft Awards. This honor places Christ Chapel at the forefront of masonry craftsmanship, highlighting the enduring skills of BAC partners. (Weigand is a BAC signatory contractor, certified in specialized masonry work such as grouting and reinforced masonry.)

Construction of the chapel took place between 2017 and 2019, making it the first religious building of its size to be completed in the United States in over 70 years. The chapel boasts a striking 70-foot facade that leads into a sanctuary accommodating 1,350 worshippers beneath a 64-foot painted barrel ceiling. Eight Doric limestone columns support the entrance portico, while the altar is framed with elegant marble Corinthian detailing. The structure is crowned by a 32-foot self-supporting masonry dome, the largest built in over 50 years.

A Crowning Achievement

“The recognition feels like winning the Super Bowl for construction masons,” says architect Duncan Stroik, who designed the chapel in a Neoclassical style inspired by Christopher Wren and early American churches. Stroik is a founding professor at Notre Dame’s classical architecture program and has over 35 years of experience in practicing and teaching sacred architecture.

With its primary design motif being Doric and enhanced with Renaissance details, Christ Chapel remains rooted in tradition. This choice reflects a deliberate homage to the enduring legacy and spiritual significance of Western architecture.

Strong Legacy in Skilled Craftmanship

Since 1986, the BAC Craft Awards have highlighted outstanding craftsmanship and union service, showcasing not only technical excellence but also the cultural impact of construction artistry.

Christ Chapel is now among the distinguished recipients of this award — a place where liturgical beauty meets brick and mortar and where modern construction revives classical inspiration. Its significance extends beyond aesthetics; it serves as a beloved community landmark. “The chapel elevates the spirit,” Stroik says. “It gives form to faith.”

Wheel of Fortune Host Snips Ribbon on New Media Center

Posted on June 25, 2024

A Special Unveiling

Donors, partners, and members of the Hillsdale College community came together to experience the new Sajak Media Center, complete with sets and special lighting filling the space! Named after the project’s primary donor, Pat Sajak, the former Wheel of Fortune Host and current Hillsdale Board of Trustees Chairman, the Sajak Media Center is a 6,453 square foot facility with the space and equipment to support Hillsdale’s wide array of media projects.

Before this new facility was completed, the Hillsdale Media Team would shoot their marketing and educational content in a studio in the Knorr Student Center basement. As their operations began to expand, the team’s output quickly outgrew the studio, creating a rising need for a new home for their video production.

A Defining Upgrade

The Sajak Media Center was conceptualized to help not only meet the Hillsdale Media Team’s immediate needs, but also support their growth going forward into the future with features like:

State-of-the-Art Soundproofing

Sprawling Studio with Space to Hold Multiple Sets and Shoots

A Green Room

A Makeup Room

And More

Beyond Better Production

This structure does more than just provide a better place to produce video. It strengthens Hillsdale’s deep library of online education courses that have been accessed by 3 million students.

“The center will also allow online learning and the visual arts team to have several sets available simultaneously, which means we can develop a more aggressive film schedule and produce more high-quality courses.”
Jeremiah Regan, Executive Director of Online Learning, Hillsdale College

We’re excited to see another amazing project go up successfully here on Hillsdale College’s beautiful campus. We can’t wait to see how the Sajak Media Center bolsters their high-quality education in the years to come!

Project Spotlight: Hillsdale College Christ Chapel

Posted on November 17, 2019

As the first new religious chapel of this magnitude in over 70 years in the United States, the construction of Christ Chapel on Hillsdale College’s campus has been a truly unique opportunity. The official dedication ceremony for the Chapel took place on October 3, with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas remarking, “[College students] need a place where they can go to be relieved of their troubles and get their bearing as so much comes at them so fast. By building this chapel, Hillsdale College has provided that space where students can come to discern God’s calling, to pray through difficult times and to praise God for his faithfulness.”

The dedication of Christ Chapel was part of Hillsdale College’s 175th anniversary celebration. Located in the heart of the campus, between the Grewcock Student Union and Dow Leadership Center, the 27,500 square foot building is a new focal point on campus. The interior of the Chapel pays homage to the classic English church, St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The Chapel’s 64-foot painted barrel ceilings, fourteen columns, wooden pews, and arched windows give it a timeless grandeur and beauty.

With seating for 1,350 and ample room for large performance ensembles, the Chapel will provide Hillsdale with a much-needed venue for college ceremonies and concerts, as well as religious services. Weigand Construction is proud to have been the Construction Manager of such a monumental project, the seventh that has been completed throughout the relationship with Hillsdale College.

Christ Chapel at Hillsdale College – Drone Progress

Posted on June 6, 2018

The Chapel at Hillsdale College is on it’s way up! This project will be unlike any of its kind, designed by a premier architect that specializes in traditional European style churches, the details and grandeur will really make this building a work of art on campus.

Fun fact: This project has so much masonry work, if you stacked all of the blocks and reinforcing straight up, it would be 22 miles high!