Employees of the Reuter Organ Company Morgan Lowry, left, and Robert Vaughan load up their tools after doing some work at Danforth Chapel.

Danforth Chapel is back in business.

The newly remodeled and expanded chapel at Kansas University started playing host to weddings again in early September. Today, it will open its doors for a rededication and open house.

The dedication – an invitation-only event – is at 2:30 p.m. The public is invited to stop by from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The $900,000 in improvements, paid for by private donations, include:

¢ A 626-square-foot addition that includes a bridal room, restrooms and a new hallway that allows brides to enter from the back of the sanctuary without having to go outside.

¢ Restoration of the original stained-glass windows and organ.

¢ New air conditioning and heating system.

¢ New tile flooring.

¢ Landscaping.

Discussions of revamping the chapel, which was built in 1945, started in March 2006, when the roof was severely damaged in a microburst. That storm closed the chapel until October 2006.

The most recent renovations closed the chapel from July through the beginning of September.

But now, couples are making up for lost time – there are 20 weddings scheduled there in October alone.

“Danforth Chapel has been a landmark on campus for the last 60 years,” says Burke Beeler, donor relations coordinator for the KU Endowment Association. “It’s an important place for students and a lot of the community as well. This needed to be done.”