Danforth University Center: Prayer, Meditation & Reflection Space
The Prayer, Meditation, and Reflection Space is located in the Center for Diversity & Inclusion, Suite 150 in the Danforth University Center. The space is located immediately next door to the office of the Director for Religious, Spiritual and Ethical Life. The space is open anytime the DUC is open. Prayer rugs and seating for meditation are available.
Graham Memorial Chapel
Graham Memorial Chapel is located in the center of Wash U’s Danforth campus. The event space was gifted to the university by Christine Blair Graham as a memorial to her husband Benjamin Brown Graham, the former president of Graham Paper Company.
Pause at Graham: All are invited to stop by Graham Chapel Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. during the academic year for prayer, reflection, meditation or a moment of quiet. Hours may vary and updates are posted on the Religious Life Instagram or contact Callista Isabelle.
Hillman Hall: Cobb Serenity Room
The Cobb Serenity Room is located in the basement of Hillman Hall, Room 001. The space is available 24 hours a day for Brown School students. Doors are locked to the public from 6:00 p.m-7:30 a.m. on weekdays and all weekend. Seating is available for meditation. Visitors are asked to limit their stay to 20 minutes at a time.
Knight Center Prayer & Reflection Room
Knight Center Prayer & Reflection Room, Olin School of Business hosts a prayer and reflection space in Room 169. Open to all during the academic term, 5:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. daily.
Law School Multipurpose Room
The Law School’s multipurpose room is located in the Office of Student Life (Suite 210) in Anheuser-Busch Hall. The room is available for prayer, meditation, and reflection Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Seating is available.
Lee Hall: Reflection Room
The Lee Reflection Room is located in the basement of Lee House on the South 40. The space is available with swipe access for undergraduates living on campus. Prayer rugs and seating for meditation are available, and an ablution station is located outside.
Lopata House: North Side Reflection Room
The Lopata Reflection Room is located in the basement of Lopata House in The Village (Northwest corner of campus). The space is available 24 hours a day for residents of Lopata House and until 9:00 p.m. for other students, faculty, and staff. Prayer rugs, seating for meditation, and an ablution station are available. The Muslim Students Association hosts weekly Jummah prayer on Fridays at 1:10 p.m. during the academic year. Sakeenah, a Living Learning Community housed in Lopata House, utilizes this space for daily prayers.
Medical School: Danforth Chapel
The Danforth Chapel is the dedicated prayer and reflection space on WashU’s Medical Campus. The space is located on the first floor of McDonnell Medical Sciences Building and is available 24/7 for students, faculty, and staff with a Medical School badge. The non-denominational chapel includes chairs and prayer rugs.
Olin Library: Serenity Room
The Serenity Room is located on the second floor of Olin Library in the Northeast corner of the building. The room is available for prayer, meditation, and reflection during open library hours. This space is open for students of any/no faith traditions. Prayer rugs and seating for meditation are available.
Other Places to Pause on Campus
Ann and Andrew Tisch Park
Ann and Andrew Tisch Park provides five acres of green space on the East End of the Danforth Campus, past Brookings Quadrangle. The park includes a sculpture garden, movable chairs, and a fountain.
Bird Rain and Buder Gathering Gardens
The Bird Rain and Buder Gathering Gardens are located outside the South side of Hillman Hall. The gardens, which are available 24/7, were named for former faculty member and Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Dr. John T Bird Jr., DDS 1953 and Sister Madonna Buder, AB 1952.
Hillman Hall Caleres Garden Terrace
The Garden Terrace is a green roof on the third floor of Hillman Hall. The space is available 24 hours a day for Brown School students. Doors are locked to the public from 6:00 p.m.-7:30 a.m. on weekdays and all weekend. The terrace offers offers patio tables and seating.
Dr. Huston Smith Meditation Garden
The Dr. Huston Smith Meditation Garden is located on the North side of Graham Chapel. The garden is named for Dr. Huston Smith, a world religions scholar who taught in the College of Arts & Science from 1947-1958. The space offers benches and a quiet space for reflection in the center of the Danforth campus.
Elizabeth Gray Danforth Butterfly Garden
The Elizabeth Gray Danforth Butterfly Garden, located on Forsyth Blvd. at Wallace Drive, was dedicated in October 1996 by the Women’s Club at Washington University in St. Louis in memory of Elizabeth “Ibby” Gray Danforth, the university’s first lady from 1971 to 1995. The garden is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.The garden offers a quiet place to relax on campus and includes benches, picnic tables, an arbor, and flowering plants needed by butterflies. The garden is maintained by the Women’s Club.
Hillman Hall Interior Garden
Hillman Hall’s Interior Gardens are located on the building’s second floor in Rooms 218 and 228. The gardens are accessible Monday-Friday from 8:15 a.m.-5:15 p.m. via the Graham Research Suite and the Bridgewater Office of Administration. The two gardens provide natural lighting, chairs, and tables to utilize for reflection or studying.
Rudolph Courtyard
Rudolph Courtyard provides a peaceful space for reflection and meditation. The patio is located on the first floor of the Danforth University Center, next to the Orchid Room on the South end of the building. The space is open to the public during DUC open hours: Monday- Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m. The courtyard offers patio tables and seating with limited umbrellas and features a small fountain.
Sumers Welcome Court
The Welcome Court connects the East End Parking Garage to the Sumers Welcome Center. This garden offers patio seating, trees, and native plants.