Anonymous gift funds million dollar Mount Olivet renovation
Mount Olivet was saved.
Mount Olivet is a wood frame chapel that is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture to survive the Civil War era. Mount Olivet Chapel sits in an historic cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana. The parish house of Mount Olivet Chapel is now the Diocesan House of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana. In December 2005 Mount Olivet Chapel was in an advanced stage of deterioration and ranked by the State of Louisiana as one of the most endangered historic sites.
At
the December 2005 meeting of the Diocesan Council of the Episcopal Diocese
of Western Louisiana, Bishop D. Bruce MacPherson announced that he had received
a gift of $500,000 to fund the restoration and renovation of the Mount Olivet
Chapel and Diocesan House from a donor who wished to remain anonymous. The
Bishop explained that the deterioration of the Chapel had been a concern of
many for a number of years, and that in October 2004 he had met with a group
from the church and also local community leaders dedicated to renovation of
the structure. "That group was prepared to undertake what needed to be done,
but the work to raise the funds was going to consume much of my time for at
least a year," said the Bishop. "After looking at other things that needed
to be accomplished during the period that it would take to raise the money,
I simply could not devote that much time to the project," he continued.
"Since my election here, I have been committed to seeking a way in which this marvelous historical site not only could be restored, but an endowment fund be established to ensure the ongoing care of this important part of Louisiana history," he added.
"Two weeks ago, a faithful communicant of the diocese, came forward in response to an earlier conversation with me, and committed to provide the funds necessary for the restoration of the chapel and Diocesan House. I can report to you today that I have received a check for one-half-million dollars, a generous and most gracious gift, and we are going to move quickly on renovation," reported the Bishop, "and a like amount will be forthcoming."
Bishop MacPherson went on to share, "Through this most generous gift, not only will the restoration take place, but the beginning of an endowment fund will be a reality. Needless to say, I am truly grateful for the financial support given to the diocese for this project."
Mount Olivet construction began in 1857, purportedly the inspiration of the wife of the Rev'd Amos D. McCoy, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Alexandria. Noted architect Richard Upjohn was its designer, and its construction was supervised by Charles Schraeder, a native of Germany. In
1859, on the eve of the Civil War, the newly completed chapel was dedicated by the Rt. Rev'd Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana. "Bishop" Polk later became "General" Polk of the Confederate army. He died in a skirmish towards the end of that conflict.
Many Confederate dead were laid to rest in the cemetery that grew up around Mount Olivet, which functioned as a mission of St. James well into the twentieth century.
As the beautiful little structure aged, its maintenance and upkeep became more and more a factor.
In 1972 St. James deeded historic Mount Olivet to the Diocese of Louisiana, and as a part of the work involved in the division of the diocese in 1979, title to the property was transferred to the Diocese of Western Louisiana.
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana elected the Rt. Rev'd Willis R. Henton as its first bishop, and installed him and diocesan employees in rented quarters in downtown Alexandria. A few years later, after some renovation, the diocesan offices were relocated to what had been the parish house at Mount Olivet.
Many who serve on diocesan committees and commissions which hold meetings at the diocesan office have fond memories of noontime Eucharists held in the Mount Olivet Chapel with Bishop Henton, and later Bishop Hargrove as the celebrant.
Sometime just prior to the mid-point of Bishop Hargrove's episcopate, those noon Eucharists were no longer held in the chapel because the structure was becoming unsafe. Studies showed that only a major renovation, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars would stabilize Mount Olivet and make it useful once again.
With such funds unavailable, deterioration has continued to the point where the chapel doors could not be opened because of sagging floors.
The situation is somewhat better in Diocesan House, which was added in 1946, many, many years after the original chapel construction. While making his announcement on the gift and coming renovation, Bishop MacPherson shared the importance of renovating Diocesan House in order for staff members to accomplish their work. "Things are such in the building, that we jest about having to check with one another before plugging something in so the circuits won't be overloaded. More important however, is the addition of an elevator in order for the parish house to be fully accessible."
In January of 2006, when the renovation plans were announced, it was expected that the project would move ahead smartly. Bishop MacPherson formed a committee to guide the restoration and there was great anticipation of a timely finish of the work needed. In late August and September 2006 disaster struck the state of Louisiana in the form of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Filling the needs of the homeless and hungry created by the storms occupied the time and attention of the entire state for months and months. Because of the demands in the construction industry created by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, plus the involvement of the project architect in other projects, progress at Mount Olivet on renovation was slow.
In late 2006, all the interior furnishings of the chapel were removed and placed in storage. In the spring of 2007 the landscaping around the structure was removed to provide access for the contractor. In late July work again started when all the stained-glass windows were removed so that they could be restored.
Nothing of any substance was accomplished during the balance of 2007.
In the spring of 2008, the project received a boost when Robert Ratcliff of Ratcliff Construction agreed to tackle the renovation. Planning began in earnest resulting in the move of diocesan offices to temporary quarters the week of June 16-20. Completion was expected in the summer of 2009.
By mid-April 2009 the renovation was complete and packing by the Diocesan staff for the return to Mount Olivet began in earnest.
The actual move took place the last week in April 2009, ahead of the projected completion date.
