Philantropist builds Barhydt Chapel

Born May 1, 1867, Theodore W. Barhydt was the son of a shoe merchant in Burlington. His paternal uncle, for whom he was named, was among the city's most influential citizens: founder and president of Merchants National Bank of Burlington and Cedar Rapids & Northern railroad and owner of the Delano Hotel. Uncle Theodore agreed to raise his nephew when Theodore's mother, Mary Copp, died in 1882. After attending Eliott's Business College, Theodore was employed at his uncle's bank for five years. In 1891, he resigned to become manager of Burlington's Grand Opera House in partnership with F. W. Chambers. Barhydt-Chambers Co. swelled to include theaters in Davenport and Ottumwa, and in Peoria and Quincy, Illinois.

Theodore became a Trustee of Parsons College in the early 1900s and served until 1911. His greatest gift to Fairfield was a major donation toward the building of the chapel on the college campus. The cornerstone was set in 1910 and photographs of the chapel appeared on the first few pages of the Parsons College annual, The Piera, in almost every edition for decades. Examples of these yearbooks are on display in the Parsons College Alumni Hall in the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.

The stained-glass windows in the Barhydt Chapel were manufactured in Chicago by The Leydecker Studios. The late Gothic-style chapel was dedicated in October of 1912. When the chapel was taken down in 2001, several members of the FACC board salvaged this window, along with other components, and had their architect design a space to incorporate the piece after the facility was built.

The stained glass remained in storage for 11 years at the Bovard Glass Studio. In 2011, this local company was hired for restoration and a state preservation grant was secured for partial payment. Total cost to restore the 168-inch by 150-inch section of the original window was $75,411. Thanks to donations from individuals, including Parsons alumni, Greater Jefferson County Foundation grant, City of Fairfield's LOST funds, Fairfield Art Association and Iowa's Historical Resource Development Program, the window is now in its new home at the FACC.

Additional windows from the chapel have been in storage since 2001 and are now available for purchase through the Parsons College Foundation Fund. For information, contact Dave Neff at 641-919-4640 or neffacres@lisco.com.