Jones Chapel was completed in 1982. The Chapel was the vision of the Class of 1928. They wanted to raise money for a 50th-anniversary gift and initially raised $50,000, which gave them the momentum they needed to build a chapel on campus. President Weems was pleased with the alumnae efforts and committees were formed and the location of the chapel was decided on in 1980. The cost of the chapel was estimated to be approximately $1,058,000. 

The 13,000 square foot chapel seats about 400 people. The Chaplain has Wednesday Chapel service each week and it is available for weddings and other events. 

Little work had been done to the Chapel since it was built but that changed in 2020. Several improvements including paint, new carpet, new sanctuary windows, updates to the bridal suite, and fresh paint on the outside including the doors, columns, and trim happened. 

In 2023, the corridors, bathrooms, conference room, kitchen, and common room were painted. New countertops will be installed in the bathrooms and new carpet will be placed in the back corridor of the Chapel that will be consistent with the carpet in the sanctuary. 

A gift from the estate of Jeannette Scott, ’54, will provide additional renovations to the Chapel as well.

The kitchen and Daisy Trade campus food pantry will undergo renovations to allow for the kitchen to function more as a catering kitchen for events and the Daisy Trade will be allocated a better space.  

“The Scott family has also taken considerable interest in the educational quality of Meredith, funding a scholarship that will support deserving students, as well as the vibrant community life we enjoy,” said President Jo Allen, ’80.

According to Mary Emma Scott, Jeannette Scott’s cousin and executor of her will, Jeannette wanted to be able to help young women who might otherwise find it difficult financially to get a college education at Meredith. 

“Jeannette was a good woman. She was a Christian woman. She was always interested in ministry and that led her to attend seminary. While there she obtained a job at the bookstore where she remained as manager for the remainder of her working career. She believed in women’s rights and equality for women in a day when it was not so popular. She decided many years ago to leave the benefits of her life’s work to Meredith College. She loved Meredith with her whole heart. She thought it was the best place in the world for a woman to get an education.”