James Stephen Hoover and Elizabeth Borland Memorial Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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James Stephen Hoover and Elizabeth Borland Memorial Chapel
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| Location | Buffington Dr. Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1936 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001662 |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 2000 |
The James Stephen Hoover and Elizabeth Borland Memorial Chapel is a special building in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. This means it is an important historical place because of its unique design.
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About the Chapel
The Hoover-Borland Chapel is a funeral chapel located in Lakeview Cemetery. This cemetery sits on a hill overlooking Half Moon Lake. The chapel was built in a style called Neo-Gothic Revival.
Chapel's Outside Look
The outside of the chapel is covered with rough-cut stone. It has special limestone details. The main entrance is a pointed arch door. Above this door, you can see a beautiful round rose window.
On each side of the chapel, there are four stone supports called buttresses. These help hold up the walls. The windows are also shaped like pointed arches. The roof is made of ceramic tiles. A small metal spire, topped with a Latin cross, rises from the top of the roof.
Inside the Chapel
Inside, the chapel has simple wooden benches, called pews. There is also a concrete altar with a silver cross. The walls are smooth and plastered.
The roof inside is supported by strong wooden beams. These beams are called King-post wood trusses. You can see the exposed wooden parts that hold up the roof. Christian symbols are painted on these wooden beams.
History of Lakeview Cemetery
Lakeview Cemetery was started in 1867. It was the second official cemetery in Eau Claire. People had been buried on this hill since 1858, even before the cemetery was officially created.
A Special Gift of Land
Later, a local businessman named Byron Buffington donated 15 acres of land to the cemetery. He did this to honor his parents, George and Pluma Buffington. George Buffington was also an important person in Eau Claire. He was once the mayor of the city.
How the Chapel Came to Be
Frances "Fannie" Hoover married Byron Buffington in 1874. Her father, James Hoover, was a butcher in Eau Claire for many years. Elizabeth Borland was Fannie's mother.
Around 1936, Fannie donated the Hoover-Borland Chapel to the cemetery. She did this to honor her parents, James Stephen Hoover and Elizabeth Borland.
Building the Chapel
The chapel was designed by an architect named John Tilton from Chicago. He created a simpler version of the Gothic Revival style. Local builders, Hoeppner and Bartlett, constructed the chapel in 1936. The cost to build it was $25,000.
The chapel had two main purposes. The lower part, or basement, has 42 special rooms called receiving vaults. These vaults were used to store bodies during the winter. This was important because the ground would freeze, making it hard to dig graves. The bodies would stay there until the ground thawed in the spring. The upper part of the chapel is used for funeral services.
