General Theological Seminary

[14] Duncan Cameron mollified them and convinced one to note that "the evil of the undue influence of New York in the General Seminary ... would be chiefly at the beginning, and would be decreasing every year".

[15] With some stipulations concerning its governance, Bishop Hobart consented to the union of the diocesan school with the General Seminary rather than contesting the inheritance.

Clement Clarke Moore, famous for penning A Visit from St. Nicholas, owned the estate "Chelsea", which included most of what would become the Manhattan neighborhood by that name.

Dean Hoffman's "grand design" was for the seminary's Chelsea campus to be built on an Oxford model, with neo-Gothic buildings facing onto a central quadrangle or Close.

Likely Dean Hoffman's most influential addition to the seminary's campus was the Chapel of the Good Shepherd which was begun in 1886, completed two years later, and became known as the "Jewel of Chelsea Square."

Its set of 15 tubular bells is the oldest extant in this country, with tubes by John Harrington of Coventry, England; original installation (1888) by Walter Durfee of Providence, Rhode Island; and a modern baton clavier (1983) by Royal Eijsbouts of Asten, Netherlands.

In 2007 the seminary engaged in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, along with general operating costs, by converting many of its buildings to geothermal heating and cooling.

[29] The faculty contested this characterization, noting that no resignations were tendered, and published the details of their grievances online, including the original September 17 letter.

[30][31] Citing the controversy roiling the seminary, a previously arranged series of lectures by Stanley Hauerwas were canceled when he declined to attend.

[36] On September 6, 2024, Vanderbilt University entered into a lease agreement to occupy the seminary campus pending approval from the government authorities.

Vanderbilt made it clear that General Theological Seminary would continue to occupy some space on the Chelsea campus, but would remain a separate entity.

[40] Elective courses allow students to more deeply explore areas of particular interest and, if studying full-time, the Master of Divinity is generally completed in three years.

[42] According to Niels Henry Sonne, "The Library of The General Theological Seminary is a magnificent treasury of books, manuscripts, records and source materials for the study of the life and thought of Christianity.

Under the direction of Eugene Augustus Hoffman, who became dean in 1879, the library was classified and catalogued using modern systems and Hobart Hall was built to house the collection.

[51] The seminary is frequently noted for the beauty of the gardens on its campus, called the Close,[52][53] an English term used to refer to a private piece of enclosed property and often associated with cathedrals.

Because of its proximity to film studios in New York City and its collection of neo-Gothic buildings, GTS has appeared in multiple television shows to portray a number of schools and universities.