Howard Mortuary Chapel
Encyclopedia
The Howard Mortuary Chapel (also known as the Louisa Howard Chapel) is a historic mortuary chapel on the grounds of Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington, Vermont
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Built in 1882, the Chapel was a gift to the City of Burlington by local philanthropist Hannah Louisa Howard (1808-1886). A native of the city, Howard was the daughter of John Howard, a successful Burlington hotelkeeper. Most of her philanthropy focused on helping Burlington's poor, including gifts to the Home for Destitute Children, the Louisa Howard Mission, scholarships at the University of Vermont for disadvantaged students, and the Burlington Cancer Relief Association.
The Chapel was used for memorial services until the 1940s, when it fell into disuse except for the storage of caskets. In the early 1990s, a "Friends of the Chapel" organization began fundraising efforts with the intention of rehabilitating the structure and returning it to use for services.
Donations and grants paid for extensive repairs and improvements, including new heating and electrical service, repointing stonework, roof and window repairs, repainting interior woodwork, repairs to interior plaster, and repainting of the intricate stenciling on the interior of the building.
Restoration work was completed in 2006, and the building was rededicated on July 30 of that year.
The Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
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Built in 1882, the Chapel was a gift to the City of Burlington by local philanthropist Hannah Louisa Howard (1808-1886). A native of the city, Howard was the daughter of John Howard, a successful Burlington hotelkeeper. Most of her philanthropy focused on helping Burlington's poor, including gifts to the Home for Destitute Children, the Louisa Howard Mission, scholarships at the University of Vermont for disadvantaged students, and the Burlington Cancer Relief Association.
The Chapel was used for memorial services until the 1940s, when it fell into disuse except for the storage of caskets. In the early 1990s, a "Friends of the Chapel" organization began fundraising efforts with the intention of rehabilitating the structure and returning it to use for services.
Donations and grants paid for extensive repairs and improvements, including new heating and electrical service, repointing stonework, roof and window repairs, repainting interior woodwork, repairs to interior plaster, and repainting of the intricate stenciling on the interior of the building.
Restoration work was completed in 2006, and the building was rededicated on July 30 of that year.
The Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.