The daily chapel service at Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary was held in the former dining room and solarium of Passavant Hall, the past residence of the Charles Pillsbury family. In keeping with the rest of the Tudor style home, the refurbished chapel retained the original paneling, stained glass, and plank flooring. Seminary students of the period (1940-1967) remember fondly the beauty and uniqueness of these spaces. Back of photograph reads: NLTS chapel at S. Mpls site ca. 1960.
By the late 1930s, Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary had grown, despite the hardships of the Great Depression, and required larger facilities than the Northeast Minneapolis location offered. Fortunately, a group of historic mansions in South Minneapolis, near the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, became available. In 1940, Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary relocated to these homes. Passavant Hall, named for the great Lutheran churchman, W.A. (William Alfred) Passavant, had been the home of the Charles Pillsbury family whose fortune had been made in the milling industry. Back of photograph reads: NLTS, Former Pillsbury Mansion, Passavant Hall, #10, Photo 2 of 8.