Rockefeller chapel plans old sculptures' salvation: Cracked, crumbling plaster models of religious, historical figures stored for decades to be repaired, displayed.

Byline: Jodi S. Cohen

Jul. 5--In the dank basement of the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago, a plaster model of Moses stands shoulder-to-shoulder with John the Baptist, Plato and Calvin, all gradually turning to dust.

Anyone familiar with the university's landmark neo-Gothic building knows that dozens of these religious and intellectual giants are carved in stone on the chapel's interior and exterior, hovering over the entrances and tucked into niches. But for nearly 80 years, the plaster models used to craft the figures have…