Located at the corner of South College Street and Thatch Avenue, the Auburn Chapel was originally built as a Presbyterian Church. The service as a hospital apparently began in 1864 with soldiers wounded during from the various raids into the area beginning in July, 1864, such as the ones by Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau's Union Raiders in which the Auburn Depot was burned.
The following is from Auburn University's web page about the chapel:
"The Auburn University Chapel, located at 139 South College Street , stands as a landmark of more than a century of Auburn 's history. The Chapel, constructed in 1851, is the oldest building still on its original site and is still used by the University. The Chapel is also the oldest public structure the town of Auburn . In 1976 the Chapel was given an imaginative restoration and designated a bicentennial building in the National Register of Historic Buildings.
This chapel has had a colorful past. It was used as a house of worship for the Presbyterian and Episcopal communities. It has also served as a Civil War hospital, a civic center, the Y-Hut (YMCA and YWCA headquarters), and a USO. In 1887, when the main building burned at Alabama Polytechnic Institute, the college used the Chapel for classrooms. Auburn University acquired this property in the early 1900's. For forty years it served as the playhouse for the Department of Theater. It has now come full circle and again serves the Auburn University community." source: (
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The history is also expressed in the historical marker outside the building:
"The University Chapel is the oldest public building in the city of Auburn. Built as a Presbyterian Church, the first service was held in the original Greek Revival-style building on September 13, 1851. Edwin Reese, spiritual leader to the tiny congregation, had the bricks made by slaves on his plantation. The founder of the town, Judge John J. Harper, gave the land. The first minister was the Reverend Albert Shotwell. The small church has seen several renovations over the years, and dramatically changed in appearance from Greek Revival to Gothic style. Originally the church had two entrances, one for men and one for women. The church building has served many purposes, and played an integral part in the town's history. In the 19th Century it was used as a Confederate hospital, a meeting place for the first Episcopal congregation and in 1887 when the main building burned at Alabama Polytechnic Institute, the college used the building for a temporary classroom. By 1917, the Presbyterian congregation with over 100 members, moved to their new building on the corner of Gay and Thach. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, May 22, 1973.
In 1921, the Alabama Polytechnic Institute acquired the building which had been renovated in a Gothic style around 1900. Until 1926 it served a variety of social functions housing the U.S.O. and later the Y.M.C.A. - Y.W.C.A., giving it the long time sobriquet the "Y" Hut. On July 27, 1926, the Auburn Players made their debut performance, and until 1973 it was University Theatre. In 1976, after extensive renovation designed by Professor Nicholas Davis, the old church re-opened as the University Chapel, and interdenominational, multipurpose building. During renovation, the hand-made trusses, girders and joists, slotted and pegged together, were discovered. The new ceiling was built above this wooden network to highlight this original feature. The new entrance doors are replicas of the originals, as is the steeple. The beautiful old bricks were cleaned, repaired, and a new layer of mortar put into the joints. Landscaped walkways and curving brick walls were all added. Funds for the project were given by the E. L. Spencer, Jr. family. It stands today as a blend of the old and the new, a reminder of Auburn's religious, academic, and social history."