Howard Mortuary Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Louisa Howard Chapel
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(2009)
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | 455 North Ave. Burlington, Vermont |
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| Built | 1882 |
| Architect | A. B. Fisher |
| Architectural style | High Victorian Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001272 |
| Added to NRHP | October 21, 1999 |
The Louisa Howard Chapel is a special old building located in Burlington, Vermont. You can find it right inside Lakeview Cemetery. It was built way back in 1882. A famous architect named Alfred Benjamin Fisher designed it in a cool style called High Victorian Gothic. The cemetery itself was designed by E. C. Ryer.
Hannah Louisa Howard gave this chapel to the city of Burlington. It's so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. This means it's a protected historic site.
Contents
What Makes the Chapel Special?
The Louisa Howard Chapel is found north of downtown Burlington. It sits between North Avenue and Burlington Bay. The chapel is made of stone, mostly a local red stone called Monkton quartzite. This red stone is laid in neat rows. Gray limestone is used for decoration.
Chapel Design and Features
The chapel has many features typical of Gothic style buildings. These include strong supports called buttresses. It also has tall, narrow windows with pointed tops, known as lancet-arched windows. The roof is very steep and made of purple slate. On the east side, the roof rises to a small tower. This tower holds a bell and has a pointed arch opening.
Who Was Hannah Louisa Howard?
The chapel was built in 1882. It was paid for by Hannah Louisa Howard. She was the daughter of a successful hotel owner named John Howard. Hannah was a philanthropist. This means she was a kind person who gave a lot of money to help others.
Hannah's Generosity
Hannah Louisa Howard especially liked helping people in need in Burlington. She gave money to many places. These included the Home for Destitute Children. She also supported the Louisa Howard Mission. Another group she helped was the Burlington Cancer Relief Association. She even provided scholarships. These scholarships helped poor students attend the University of Vermont.
Alfred Benjamin Fisher designed the chapel. He was one of the best architects in Burlington at that time. The chapel is a great example of High Gothic Victorian architecture.
Bringing the Chapel Back to Life
The chapel was used for memorial services for many years. But by the 1940s, it wasn't used much anymore. It was mostly just a place to store caskets.
The Restoration Project
In the early 1990s, a group called "Friends of the Chapel" started working. They wanted to raise money to fix the building. Their goal was to bring the chapel back to life. They wanted it to be used for services again.
Many people gave donations and grants. This money paid for lots of repairs. They added new heating and electricity. The stone walls were fixed. The roof and windows were repaired. Inside, the wooden parts were repainted. The plaster was fixed. Even the beautiful stenciling on the walls was repainted. All the restoration work was finished in 2006. The building was celebrated again on July 30 of that year.
See Also
- Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel (Bellows Falls, Vermont)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Chittenden County, Vermont
