Centrally located in the middle of the Seminary’s campus is the Main Quadrangle, which is bordered on all four sides by original Collegiate Gothic buildings that were part of the campus completed in 1926. At the time of the dedication, the Seminary was the largest Protestant seminary in the United States.
Today, the quad is most famously known for hosting Commencement exercises each spring.
The quad — which features a large grassy area, crisscrossed by sidewalks — is surrounded by Schaller Hall, Guenther Hall, Stoeckhardt Hall and Pritzlaff Hall. Notable offices housed in those buildings include the Presidents Room in Pritzlaff Hall, which served as the reading room for the original library and displays the portraits of the Seminary’s past presidents, the Ministerial Formation offices in Pritzlaff Hall, and the Admissions and Financial Aid offices in Stoeckhardt Hall.
There are three dormitory halls — Graebner (also known as I Dorm), Craemer (residence hall lounges) and Brauer (also known as G Dorm), which are currently not occupied.
Likely the most iconic symbol on campus, Luther Tower, designed by Charles Klauder, rises above the campus, with the base located on the east side of the Main Quadrangle.
It stands 156 feet tall. Although it was included in the original 1922 plans for the Seminary campus, Luther Tower was not completed for 44 years, when funding was secured. The base of the tower was built in the 1920s, up to the level of the balcony above Walther Archway. The tower was completed in 1966. Inside the base of the tower is the Chapel of the Holy Apostles, which is typically used for private meditation, devotions, small group devotions and prayer office services.
Atop Luther Tower is a 49-bell carillon, which chimes before chapel services and on special occasions
At the top of Luther Tower is the 49-bell carillon, which was dedicated in 1970 as a memorial to all pastors who have served The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
The carillon is one of 170 carillons in North America.It was cast in 1969-70 at the van Bergen foundries in Holland and South Carolina. The largest bell weighs 2 1/2 tons and the lightest is 17 pounds.
The inaugural recital was played in the spring of 1971 by Raymond Keldermans, city park district carillonneur of Springfield, Ill. Today carillon concerts are offered each summer in June for both the Seminary campus and the surrounding community.
The carillon chimes Monday through Friday on campus as a call to chapel, and also on special occasions such as Call Day and Commencement.
On the east side of campus stands a statue of Martin Luther, across from Luther Tower and the Walther Archway.
The statue is a replica of the original Luther statue in Worms, Germany, where Luther made his famous “Here I Stand” speech. The statue was originally dedicated at the Seminary’s former location on Jefferson Avenue in 1903. It was moved to the current campus in 1926. The bronze statue is more than 9 feet tall and the granite base is more than 12 feet tall.
The statue depicts Luther holding the Bible, which he translated into German from the original languages. His right hand rests upon the Bible to signify that all of his teachings are based on Scripture alone. The statue shows a mature Luther whose hairstyle and robes are those of an academic, not a monk.
The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus is the first freestanding worship facility since Concordia Seminary moved to its current location in Clayton, Mo., in 1926. Since its dedication on Nov. 15, 1992, the chapel has served as the site of thousands of daily services and numerous special services.
The chapel was designed to match the architectural style of the original Seminary buildings, with both the dormers and the stonework. The decision was made to locate it in the heart of the campus to reflect the Seminary community’s emphasis on worship as the central activity to its life and being.
The campus community gathers daily for chapel at 9:35 a.m. for prayer, preaching and music. Holy Communion is observed every Wednesday.
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Near the Walter Archway is the bell from the Seminary’s former Jefferson Avenue campus in St. Louis, where it was used from 1883 to 1926. The bell is mounted on a solid slab of Indiana bluff limestone.
For a number of years, the bell was mounted in a wooden tower located where the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus now stands. Concordia Historical Institute acquired the bell and generously returned it to be displayed on campus.
On the east side of the library sits a replica of the original Concordia Seminary — a log cabin.
The original school, known as the “Log Cabin College,” was built in 1839 in Perry County, Mo., by German-Saxon immigrants. Upon arriving, the settlers immediately built a school to provide Christian education for their children.
The school was housed in a one-room log cabin and served as an elementary and preparatory school. The opening enrollment consisted of four girls and seven boys ranging in age from 5 to 15. The school later became the first college and seminary of The Lutheran—Church Missouri Synod.
The original 20-by-17-foot log cabin school, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was moved to its present location in central Altenburg, Mo., in 1912.
The cabin on campus served as part of the set in the film, “Call of the Cross,” which was made in 1939 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Saxon emigration to the United States.
The Concordia Seminary library contains more than 270,000 volumes, and is the second largest Lutheran library in North America. The library houses more than 6,000 items in the rare book collection, including one of the largest collections of Lutheran Reformation reference materials. These include works that date to Luther’s time. The collection features other items of historical significance including Johann Sebastian Bach’s personal Bible.
The library is currently undergoing a $6 million renovation to update the original 1962 building into a state-of-the-art learning center. It will reopen on Aug. 24, 2018, as the Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library.
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