Peace Chapel

It was Billy Levere's wish that the national headquarters of SAE include a memorial chapel dedicated to Fraternity members who had fought and died in America's wars.  Known officially as the "Peace Chapel," the Temple's memorial chapel is the physical realization of Levere's dream. 

In the early years, the Chapel was actively used by visitors as a memorial shrine to honor those who had died in World War I.  In the last half-century, memorials have been added to remember SAE brothers who died in the Civil War, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Artwork

At the time of the Temple's dedication, the walls of the chapel were bare.  Judge Nippert located Johannes Waller in Munich, Germany and brought him to America to embellish the walls of the Temple.  It took Waller and an assistant over nine years to complete the decoration of the Temple.  In 1930, using paints imported from Germany, Waller finished painting the ceiling tiles - which he ingeniously painted to appear as if they were a mosaic.  At the base of the ceiling arches hang 12 carved solid oak busts made by Chicago sculptor Joseph Dux.  The busts represent soldiers from all American wars from the founding of the Fraternity to the dedication of the Temple.  Dux's plaster models for the busts are on display in the Walt Library.  A second artist, Mathias Noheimer, an instructor at a Cincinnati art school, was comissioned to paint a series of Biblical paintings along the balcony wall that depicted scenes from the Old and New Testiments of the Bible.

Tiffany Stained Glass Windows

No other feature of the Temple is as breathtaking as the Tiffany stained glass windows.  Completed by Tiffany Studios of New York and installed just weeks before the dedication of the Temple, the windows depict important moments in the history of SAE as well as the history of North America with the theme of war given express consideration. 

In 1930, Judge Nippert instructed that, "Three windows of plain stained glass have been reserved for future history which will be made by future generations of Sigma Alpha Epsilon."  The Fraternity aptly chose to honor Judge Nippert with one panel after his death, and, in 1994, an open competition was hosted by the SAE Foundation with the intention of creating memorial stained glass panels to honor those who had served in more recent wars, including the Korean War, WWII, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War.  William Giannos (Beloit 1953) won the competition and worked with the Drehobl Studios of Chicago to create and install the new stained glass panels.

Today the Chapel continues to inspire visitors with its beauty and honor SAE brothers lost in battle.  It is used for church services by a local congregation, still hosts some weddings, and is a favorite stop on the free Temple tours that are available to the public.

For questions or more specific information about the Temple's collection and archives contact (847) 475-1856 or (800) 233-1856 or email Nanci Gasiel, Archivist, at ngasiel@sae.net.