Wade Memorial Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wade Memorial Chapel
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 Location in Cleveland
Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 12316 Euclid Ave., inside Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | Hubbell & Benes |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001422 |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1973 |
The Wade Memorial Chapel is a beautiful building located in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. It looks like an ancient Greek or Roman temple, a style called Neoclassical. This special chapel also works as a place to temporarily hold coffins before burial, known as a receiving vault.
Jeptha Wade II gave this chapel to the cemetery to honor his grandfather, Jeptha Wade. His grandfather was one of the people who helped start Lake View Cemetery and the company Western Union. The chapel was designed by a new architectural firm from Cleveland called Hubbell & Benes. The amazing inside of the chapel was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who was famous for his beautiful glass art. The inside has two large mosaics and a stunning stained glass window.
Wade Memorial Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973. This means it is a very important historical place in the United States.
Contents
Why Was the Chapel Built?
In 1896, Jeptha H. Wade II decided to build a new chapel and receiving vault. He wanted it to be a special way to remember his grandfather. Wade asked a new architecture company, Hubbell & Benes, to draw some ideas. He liked their ideas so much that he didn't even ask other companies for designs! He chose their plan for the chapel and told them to get ready to build it.
The Lake View Cemetery Association, which runs the cemetery, officially approved the chapel plans later. The chosen spot for the chapel was between two lakes. It was also across a road from another building where coffins were kept. The chapel was designed so that the lower level, where coffins are stored, could not be seen from the road.
Building the Chapel and Its Cost
Work on the new chapel began on February 19, 1898. Workers dug down about 25 feet to reach solid rock. The foundations and the lower level for coffins were finished by the end of 1898. However, finishing the inside of the chapel took much longer than expected. The entire chapel was not ready until 1901.
Jeptha Wade II did not set a limit on how much the chapel could cost. The exact cost is a bit unclear, but reports say it was between $100,000 and $350,000. This was a huge amount of money back then! For example, $100,000 in 1900 would be worth over $3.5 million today. The large stained glass window alone was estimated to cost many thousands of dollars.
Wade was very happy with the marble work inside the chapel. He gave Joseph Carabelli, who owned a local company that made monuments, a $1,000 gift. This was to thank him for his excellent work.
What Does the Chapel Look Like?
The chapel has a modified Neoclassical design. It is shaped like a "T" when you look at it from above. The main chapel part is on top, and the lower part, where coffins are kept, is underneath. The chapel itself is about 33 feet wide and 63 feet long.
Outside the Chapel
The front of the chapel has a special porch area called a portico. This portico sticks out more than usual from the main building. It is held up by four tall, fluted columns. These columns have Ionic capitals, which are the fancy tops of the columns. A low, triangular roof covers the chapel and the portico. This roof has a plain front section called a pediment.
The outside walls of the chapel are covered in light gray Barre granite. This stone came from Barre, Vermont. Jeptha Wade II first wanted white terra cotta for the outside. But the architects explained that terra cotta could not be made perfectly smooth. They preferred white marble, but it had problems like changing color or wearing away easily.
Wade asked for a stronger stone, so the architects chose granite. Granite is harder to carve finely, so they made the decorative parts simpler and used larger stone blocks. The granite chosen is a very light bluish-gray color and has a smooth, even texture.
The granite was brought to Cleveland on 40 railroad cars. It was such a big order that the quarry owner even traveled to Cleveland to talk with the architects. Three columns are partly built into the side walls of the chapel. Other columns support each corner of the building. Two more granite columns stand at the back, and two are on either side of the main entrance door. These columns hold up large granite beams that support the ceiling.
Front Porch and Entryway
The front porch, or portico, is supported by four large granite columns. The floor of the portico is made of huge granite stones that weigh about 10 tons together. The three steps leading up to the porch are carved from a single piece of stone.
Bronze doors lead from the porch into a small entrance room called a vestibule. This room is lined with white marble. Above the chapel doors, carved into the stone, are the words: "Erected in Memory of Jeptha H. Wade by his Grandson, A.D. MDCCCC". This means "Built to remember Jeptha H. Wade by his Grandson, in the year 1900."
Inside the Chapel
The inside of the chapel is about 26 feet wide and 32 feet long. All the decorations inside were designed and made by Tiffany & Co. Louis Comfort Tiffany himself really wanted to work on this project. After he got the job, he came to Cleveland to talk about the designs. Many parts of the chapel's interior look like a chapel Tiffany designed for a big fair in Chicago in 1893. This makes experts think Tiffany probably designed the inside himself.
The lower part of the walls, called the wainscoting, and the ceiling are both made of white marble. The chapel has a huge stained glass window at the back and two large mosaics on the side walls.
The stained glass window is called Resurrection or Flight of the Soul. It was designed by a Tiffany artist named Agnes Northrop. This window was shown at a big exhibition in Paris in 1900 before it was put into the chapel.
Another Tiffany artist, Frederick Wilson, designed the wall mosaics. These were made and put in by Tiffany & Co. Each mosaic is about 25 feet long. They are made of special Favrile glass and gold tiles. These mosaics show the journey from life to death. The mosaic on the left side is known as "The River of Life," and the one on the right is called "The River of Death."
Other beautiful parts of the chapel include:
- A white Carrara marble lectern (a stand for reading).
- White marble candlesticks on top of the altar rail.
- Pews (church benches) made of a wood called white mahogany.
Many of these items, like the seats, ceiling lamps, altar rail, and a special stand for coffins, are made of white Carrara marble. They are often carved with delicate designs and have colorful glass, gold, and mother of pearl inlaid into them. Above the chapel doors are smaller windows made of white frosted glass with a heavy bronze design.
Instead of a traditional altar, the chapel has a stand for coffins behind the altar rail. This stand can be lowered by machine through the floor into the crypt below. This is where the receiving vault is located.
Lower Levels and Vaults
The rectangular crypt, or lower level, sits on a special platform made of sandstone. This crypt is 63 feet long.
The front of the crypt level has bronze doors and windows with bronze bars. Inside these doors is a small entrance room. From there, a short hallway leads to the vaults. The main part of the crypt can hold up to 96 coffins. There are also two private vaults on this level, which are closed off by marble doors. Each vault is lined with a bluish-colored sandstone. The cover of each vault and all the inside walls of the crypt level are made of white marble. Two small bronze grilles are in each vault cover to help with air flow. A thin line of "subdued" colored stone runs around the walls, adding the only touch of color to the crypt level.
A short driveway leads to the crypt entrance. This allows coffins to be easily brought in or taken out for burial.
What People Thought of the Chapel
In 1916, a writer for American Stone Trade magazine called Wade Memorial Chapel an "exquisite Greek temple." They especially praised how well it was built. They said, "Every detail is perfectly finished, permanently bedded and jointed and of material in every way suitable for the purpose for which it is used." Alice Gould Pattinson of the American Federation of Arts also said that Wade Chapel was one of the most important monuments at Lake View Cemetery.
Images for kids
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Wade Memorial Chapel, showing its Neoclassical design.
