Riverside Cemetery Chapel

The Riverside Cemetery Association was formed on November 15, 1875.[2] About April 1876,[3] the association's trustees hired the Cleveland architectural firm of Bruch & Monks[4][5] to design a chapel for the cemetery.[4]

The chapel was to be erected at the center of the northern upper plateau of the cemetery,[lower-alpha 1] which was the first area to be developed for burials. A 1,000-foot (300 m) long road, called Chapel Avenue, led east from the chapel to the cemetery's eastern boundary. A fountain (never built) was to anchor the eastern end of the road. The chapel itself was a Gothic Revival-style structure[3] constructed of sandstone,[5] with an interior measuring just 26 by 26 feet (7.9 by 7.9 m) square.[3] Simple wooden pews faced forward, providing seating for between 80 and 90 persons. The chapel had a single above-ground story, with a full basement[4] which served as a receiving vault. Coffins placed on the dais could be lowered into the receiving vault below mechanically.[3] Narrow bunk-like racks provided space for the storage of coffins and human remains until the spring thaw.[6] Up to 30 coffins could be stored in the receiving vault.[7] Four narrow metal tubes rose from the basement through the north and south roofs to provide ventilation.[6][lower-alpha 2] The building was unheated, and the only light was provided by small dormer windows set high in the roof.[4][7]

Riverside Cemetery was opened on July 8, 1876, on a bluff overlooking the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in the unincorporated village of Brooklyn Centre (now a neighborhood which is part of Cleveland, but then an independent settlement).[8] It was a garden-style cemetery, and at the time of its dedication the largest cemetery on Cleveland's west side.[9]

Plans for the chapel were approved by the trustees on August 4, 1876,[4] and construction proceeded immediately and swiftly. The chapel was dedicated on November 9, 1876.[10] The cost of construction was $3,855 ($105,940 in 2022 dollars).[4] A formal dedication of the cemetery took place on November 17, 1876. Ohio Governor (and President-elect) Rutherford B. Hayes attended the ceremony, planting a tree on Chapel Avenue.[11]

On December 13, 1897, the cemetery trustees voted to approve the addition of a porte-cochère to the east side of the chapel.[12] The Cleveland architectural firm of Steffens, Searles & Hirsh was hired to design the alterations,[13][14] which also included adding a coal-fired furnace and coal room in the basement,[4] a covered rear stairway at the rear of the building to give access to the basement,[4][7] a dropped ceiling in the interior,[7][lower-alpha 3] and Gothic Revival lead glass windows in the north, south, and west walls.[4][14] The porte-cochère was made of sandstone and designed to be almost stylistically identical to the existing chapel.[14] Medallions were installed over the arches in the porte-cochère. The southern medallion depicted a descending dove with an olive branch in its beak, symbolic of peace and the Holy Spirit. The northern medallion depicted a hooded representation of Death, finger to the lips, urging all to be silent.[14][15][lower-alpha 4] Construction began on July 7, 1898, and was complete on November 3[4] at a cost of about $2,700 ($94,975 in 2022 dollars).[4][14]

In serious need of repair, upgrades, and restorations, the chapel was closed in 1953.[4]

The chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[5]

In 1988, several stone roof caps were dislodged and fell to the ground just hours after the funeral of a cemetery trustee was held in the chapel.[6] In 1992, realizing that the chapel was in danger of collapse, the cemetery began a $250,000 fundraising campaign to restore it to full use.[15] A charitable foundation was established to receive monies. Although costs had risen to $285,000, by 1995 the cemetery had $105,000 in hand and decided to proceed with the renovation. The renovation was designed by the Cleveland architectural firm of Steven McQuillin & Associates. The restoration included restoring the building to use, removing a brick chimney on the building's west facade (added to vent smoke from the now-disused coal furnace), and removing the ventilation tubes from the roof (since the receiving vault was no longer used). Construction, overseen by Platt Construction Co. of Cleveland,[4] began in the summer of 1995.[6] William Halley, the cemetery's superintendent from 1971 to 2010, oversaw the fundraising and renovation. With the existing pews no longer serviceable, Halley obtained century-old[7] pews for the chapel from Trinity Cathedral, a church also listed on the National Register of Historic Places which was renovating its nave.[9] The renovation was completed in August 1998, and the chapel rededicated in June 1999. At that time, was named the William Halley Chapel in honor of superintendent William Halley.[4]

• Riverside Cemetery Gatehouse

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Notes

Citations

• Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols and Stories. Cleveland: Gray & Co. ISBN 9781598510256.