Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting is embarking upon an extraordinary outreach project: a new meetinghouse for Friends, Chestnut Hill, the Philadelphia region, and beyond.
Incorporating a Skyspace by world-renowned light artist James Turrell, which will be open regularly to the public, this environmentally-friendly 21st Century building and surrounding gardens and woods will not only accommodate the vibrant local Quaker community, but also offer people of all faiths a place to gather for quiet reflection, fellowship, education, and social action.
The simple, traditionally-styled meetinghouse and grounds, which is expected to open its doors in summer 2013, will serve the wider population as well as Friends by:
- providing a new place of worship for the growing Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting community;
- inviting the public to experience a James Turrell Skyspace, a chamber containing simple seating, lighting and an aperture in the ceiling, which focuses those who visit on the beauty of the ever-changing sky overhead and induces deep, silent reflection;
- supporting expanded peace, environmental and social justice efforts;
- creating a peaceful oasis at the entrance of Chestnut Hill on what is currently an asphalt-covered former quarry bordering Fairmount Park;
- reflecting meeting members’ care for our planet through energy efficiency and sustainability;
- making the building and grounds available as an educational resource for green living.
We welcome your interest in this project, for which we are currently raising funds, and hope that you might consider joining others of all faith backgrounds and walks of life in supporting this undertaking.
Campaign Update
