Seney-Stovall Chapel

Sitting at the edge of the Lucy Cobb grounds on North Milledge Avenue in Athens, Georgia, this unusual octagonal building with an exquisite Victorian interior is considered the "crown jewel" of the Lucy Cobb complex, home to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The Seney-Stovall Chapel was built in 1882 as the chapel for the Lucy Cobb Institute, a boarding school for girls that opened in 1859, and for community cultural events. The chapel was abandoned shortly after World War II and was transferred to the University of Georgia in 1953. It deteriorated until 1961, when the slow process of restoration was begun. Restoration of the chapel was completed in 1997. The chapel has been restored in a way that allows for its use by a wide variety of university and community groups for plays, concerts, lectures, weddings, meetings, and other special events. The Spalding Theater, which seats 240, and the Conference/Green Room, which seats 45, are rented to the public.