Wade Memorial Chapel

Last updated
Wade Memorial Chapel
Wade Chapel Cleveland Ohio.jpg
Location map United States Cleveland.png
Red pog.svg
USA Ohio location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location12316 Euclid Ave., inside Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Coordinates 41°30′49″N81°35′42″W / 41.51361°N 81.59500°W / 41.51361; -81.59500 Coordinates: 41°30′49″N81°35′42″W / 41.51361°N 81.59500°W / 41.51361; -81.59500
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1901
Architect Hubbell & Benes
Architectural style Neoclassical
NRHP reference No. 73001422 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1973

Wade Memorial Chapel is a Neoclassical chapel and receiving vault located at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. It was donated to the cemetery by Jeptha Wade II in memory of his grandfather, cemetery and Western Union co-founder Jeptha Wade. The overall design was by the newly-founded Cleveland area architectural firm of Hubbell & Benes, and was their first commission. The interior's overall design is by Louis Comfort Tiffany based on a preexisting 1893 design. The interior features two mosaics on the right and left hand walls, and a large stained glass window.

Contents

Wade Memorial Chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973.

Conception and siting of the chapel

In 1896, [2] Jeptha H. Wade II decided to fund the construction of a new receiving vault and chapel, dedicated to the memory of his grandfather, at Lake View Cemetery. [3] [4] Wade asked the newly-founded Cleveland architectural firm of Hubbell & Benes to create a preliminary design. He was so happy with their work that he did not ask any other firm for a design. He chose their concept as the final design for the chapel and told Hubbell & Benes to finalize it and create blueprints. [2] [4]

The Lake View Cemetery Association, which owned the cemetery, did not formally accept the new chapel until these plans were done. [3]

The site selected for the chapel was between two existing lakes, diagonally across a road from the existing public receiving vault. [2] [3] [4] There was a slight hill here, [5] [6] and the structure was designed so that the crypt level could not be seen from the driveway that led to the front of the chapel. [6]

Construction and cost

Ground for the new chapel was broken on February 19, 1898. [3] The hillside was excavated 25 feet (7.6 m) down to bedrock, [7] and the foundations and crypt level finished in late December 1898. [2] Completing the interior took much longer then expected, [2] and the chapel was not finished until 1901. [8] [9]

Jeptha Wade II placed no limit on the cost of construction. [2] The cost was variously reported to be $350,000 ($11.4 million in 2021 dollars), [9] $150,000 ($4.89 million in 2021 dollars), [10] $140,000 ($4.56 million in 2021 dollars), [11] and "more than $100,000" ($3.26 million in 2021 dollars). [12] The cost of the window was not known, but was estimated at several tens of thousands of dollars. [2]

Wade gave Joseph Carabelli, owner of a prominent local funerary monument firm, a $1,000 ($32,572 in 2021 dollars) gift in appreciation of his excellent work in executing the marble work in the chapel's interior. [13]

About the chapel

The modified Neoclassical [6] building was T-shaped, [3] [4] with the rectangular chapel perpendicular to the rectangular crypt below. [2] The exterior dimensions of the chapel are 33 feet (10 m) from side to side and 63 feet (19 m) from the front of the portico to the rear wall. [3] [4]

Exterior

The front of the chapel features a portico that extends somewhat further than usual from the chapel proper. [6] The portico is supported by fluted columns with Ionic capitals. [14] A low gable roof covers the chapel and portico, and features a pediment with an unadorned tympanum in front. The entablature has an featureless frieze, although the cornice is carved with dentils. [15]

The exterior walls are clad in near-white Barre granite from Barre, Vermont. [2] Jeptha Wade II wanted white terra cotta for the exterior, but this idea was abandoned when the architects pointed out that the surface of terra cotta could not be made completely smooth. The architects preferred white marble, both for its suitability for sculpture and because its white color more easily reflected the effects of light and shadow. The Norcross Marble Company of Cleveland and Tiffany & Co. both suggested using Georgia, Lee, Rutland, South Dover, and Tuckahoe marbles, but all of them had discoloration problems or chemical properties which led to discoloration, easy erosion, or pock-marking. [16]

Wade asked for a longer-lasting stone, and the architects chose granite. Because granite could not be carved in fine lines, the architects abandoned most of the decorative scheme they had proposed for the exterior and increased the size of the blocks used in the exterior walls. [16] A variety of granites were considered, including Concord, Hallowell, North Jay, Troy, Westerly, and Barre. Once more, color and chemical issues led to the rejection of most types of granites. (Hallowell granite was acceptable, but rejected as too expensive.) The final choice came down to Troy and Barre. [17] The granite used is known as "light Barre" [18] and as "standard Barre". [19] It is a biotite granite with a very light bluish-gray color. It is very even-grained, with the texture ranging from fine to medium. [18]

The granite came from the Standard Granite Quarries Co. quarry [20] near Barre, Vermont, [18] and was cut by Barclay Bros. [20] [19] Forty railroad cars were required to haul it to Cleveland. [19] The order was so large and important to the Barre granite industry that quarry owner William Barclay traveled to Cleveland in late 1898 to consult with the architects. [21]

Three engaged columns of Barre granite are half-embedded in the side walls, while partially-embedded columns support each corner of the building. [2] [22] Two granite columns stand at the rear, and two on either side of the main entry door. [2] The side and rear corner columns support 13-foot (4.0 m) long granite cross beams, which in turn support the ceiling. [2]

Portico and vestibule

The portico is supported by four columns of Barre granite, standing on Barre granite pedestals. [2] The granite stones of the portico floor weigh a combined 10 short tons (9.1 t), and the three steps leading from the carriageway to the portico are carved from a single stone. [7]

Bronze doors lead from the portico to the vestibule, [2] which was lined with white marble from Georgia. [7] Countersunk in an architrave over the chapel doors are the words "Erected in Memory of Jeptha H. Wade by his Grandson, A.D. MDCCCC". [7]

Chapel

The Resurrection stained glass window Wade Chapel stained glass window.jpg
The Resurrection stained glass window

The chapel's interior measures 26 by 32 feet (7.9 by 9.8 m). [2] The interior decor was designed and manufactured by Tiffany & Co., and Louis Comfort Tiffany personally sought out the commission. [2] After winning the project, Tiffany traveled to Cleveland to consult with Hubbell & Benes about the decor design. [23] Art historian Hugh F. McKean concludes that Tiffany probably designed the interior himself, as many elements of the chapel reflect those used in Tiffany's chapel for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. [24]

The wainscoting and ceiling are both made of white marble from Georgia. [7] The chapel features a massive stained glass window at the rear and mosaics on each side wall. [2]

The stained glass window, titled Resurrection [7] or Flight of the Soul, was designed by Tiffany artisan Agnes Northrop. [25] It was exhibited at the Paris Exposition of 1900 before being installed at the chapel. [15]

Tiffany artist Frederick Wilson designed the wall mosaics, [15] [26] which were manufactured and installed by Tiffany & Co. [3] Each mosaic is about 25 feet (7.6 m) long. [27] Known under various titles, including An Allegory of the Christian Religion [26] and The Voyage of Life, [28] the Favrile glass [24] and gold tile mosaics depicted the passage of life to death. [2] The left side mosaic became known as "The River of Life", while the other had the title "The River of Death". [7]

Other elements of the chapel include a white Carrara marble lectern, white marble candlesticks atop the altar rail, [24] and white mahogany pews. [2] The sedilia, ceiling lamps, altar rail, candlesticks atop the altar rail, lectern, and casket pedestal are all made of white Carrara marble, [7] [24] often cut and carved with great delicacy and inlaid with colored glass, gold, and mother of pearl. [7] Smaller clerestory windows of white frosted glass set in a heavy bronze grille are positioned above the chapel doors. [2]

The chapel also features a casket pedestal behind the altar rail, in place of an altar. This pedestal can be lowered mechanically through the floor into crypt, where the receiving vault is located. [3] [4]

Crypts and receiving vault

The rectangular crypt rests on a specially designed platform made of sandstone. [6] The crypt is 63 feet (19 m) long. [3] [4]

The main facade of the crypt level features doors of bronze and windows barred with bronze grilles. Inside the crypt doors is an anteroom, from which a short corridor leads to the vaults. [7] The "public" portion of the crypt can hold as many as 96 coffins. Two private receiving vaults also exist on the crypt level, closed off by marble doors. [2] Each crypt is lined with Euclid bluestone (a bluish-colored sandstone quarried locally), while the cover of each crypt and all the interior walls of the crypt level are of white marble. Two small bronze grilles are set in each crypt cover, to ensure adequate ventilation. A ribbon of "subdued" colored stone, set at the height of a dado rail, provides the only color on the crypt level. [7]

A short driveway gives access to the crypt entrance for the removal of caskets for burial. [2]

Critical assessment

An anonymous writer for American Stone Trade praised Wade Memorial Chapel in 1916 as an "exquisite Greek temple". [20] The industry journal focused particularly on the chapel's construction, noting, "In every detail it is perfectly finished, permanently bedded and jointed and of material in every way suitable for the purpose for which it is used." [20] Alice Gould Pattinson of the American Federation of Arts called Wade Chapel one of the most notable monuments at Lake View. [29]

Related Research Articles

Lincoln Tomb United States historic place in Springfield, Illinois

The Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln; his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln; and three of their four sons, Edward, William, and Thomas. It is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Constructed of granite, the tomb has a large, single-story rectangular base, surmounted by an obelisk, with a semicircular receiving room entranceway, on one end, and semicircular crypt or burial-room opposite.

Chicago Cultural Center United States historic place

The Chicago Cultural Center, opened in 1897, is a Chicago Landmark building operated by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events that houses the city's official reception venue where the Mayor of Chicago has welcomed Presidents and royalty, diplomats and community leaders. It is located in the Loop, across Michigan Avenue from Millennium Park. Originally the central library building, it was converted in 1977 to an arts and culture center at the instigation of Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg. The city's central library is now housed across the Loop in the spacious, postmodern Harold Washington Library Center opened in 1991.

Monreale Cathedral Cathedral in Monreale, Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy

Monreale Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Monreale, Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. One of the greatest existent examples of Norman architecture, it was begun in 1174 by William II of Sicily. In 1182 the church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, was, by a bull of Pope Lucius III, elevated to the rank of a metropolitan cathedral as the seat of the diocese of Monreale, which was elevated to the Archdiocese of Monreale in 1183. Since 2015 it has been part of the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tiffany and Company Building Commercial building in Manhattan, New York, U.S.

The Tiffany and Company Building, also known as the Tiffany Building and 401 Fifth Avenue, is an eight-story commercial building at Fifth Avenue and 37th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The structure was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White. It was built from 1903 to 1905 as the flagship store of jewelry company Tiffany & Co. The building is a New York City designated landmark and a National Historic Landmark.

James A. Garfield Memorial United States historic place

The James A. Garfield Memorial is a memorial dedicated to and the final resting place of assassinated President James A. Garfield and located in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. The memorial, built from is a combination of Byzantine, Gothic, and Romanesque Revival styles, began construction in October 1885 and was dedicated on May 30, 1890. Garfield; his wife, former First Lady Lucretia Garfield; and two other members of the Garfield family are entombed in the crypt level of the monument.

Riverside Cemetery Chapel United States historic place

Riverside Cemetery Chapel is a historic chapel located in Riverside Cemetery at 3607 Pearl Road in Cleveland, Ohio. It was built in 1876, received an addition in 1897, and closed due to disrepair in 1953. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It underwent a major renovation beginning in 1995, and reopened in 1998.

Civita Castellana Cathedral

Civita Castellana Cathedral is a cathedral in Civita Castellana, central Italy. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Civita Castellana.

Tiffany Chapel 1893 glass work of art by Louis Comfort Tiffany

The Tiffany Chapel is a chapel interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and created by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. First installed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the chapel was later moved to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, then re-acquired by Tiffany in 1916 and displayed in his own home. After the chapel was dismantled in 1949, parts were sold and the remaining portions were put on display at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida in April 1999.

Lake View Cemetery Historic cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, US

Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gilded Age, and today the cemetery is known for its numerous lavish funerary monuments and mausoleums. The extensive early monument building at Lake View helped give rise to the Little Italy neighborhood, but over-expansion nearly bankrupted the burial ground in 1888. Financial recovery only began in 1893, and took several years. Lake View grew and modernized significantly from 1896 to 1915 under the leadership of president Henry R. Hatch. The cemetery's cautious management allowed it to avoid retrenchment and financial problems during the Great Depression.

Hubbell & Benes

Hubbell & Benes was a prominent Cleveland, Ohio architectural firm formed by Benjamin Hubbell (1857–1935) and W. Dominick Benes (1867–1953) in 1897 after the pair departed from Coburn, Barnum, Benes & Hubbell. Their work included commercial and residential buildings as well as telephone exchange buildings, the West Side Market and Cleveland Museum of Art. Before teaming up, they worked for Coburn and Barnum. Benes was Jeptha Wade’s personal architect and designed numerous public buildings, commercial buildings, and residences for him including the Wade Memorial Chapel.

Citizens Building (Cleveland, Ohio) Office and retail in Ohio, United States

The Citizens Building is a high-rise office and retail building located at 840 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. The structure was built in 1903 by the Citizens Savings and Trust, a local bank. Its entrance portico was removed in 1924, and a two-story addition erected in its place. Home to the City Club of Cleveland since 1982, the building was renamed the City Club Building in 1999.

Parish of St. Gabriel and of St. Joseph (New Rochelle, New York) Church in New York, United States

The Parish of St. Gabriel and of St. Joseph was formed in August 2015 with the merger of the Territorial parish of St. Gabriel on Division Street with the personal parish of St. Joseph on Washington Avenue, both in New Rochelle, NY. St. Gabriel is the parish church. However, St. Joseph "will maintain a regular schedule of Masses and the celebration of other sacraments". Both parishes were established around 1900 through the generosity of the Iselin family.

Abbey Mausoleum (Arlington County, Virginia)

Abbey Mausoleum was a mausoleum in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States founded in 1924. One of the most luxurious burial places in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, many famous individuals, judges, and military leaders were buried there. The mausoleum encountered financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy in 1966. It suffered vandalism numerous times, and several graves were desecrated. Remains buried there were disinterred and reburied elsewhere, and it was demolished in February 2001. Several architectural features of the structure were salvaged. It was located just outside Arlington National Cemetery next to Henderson Hall.

Cleveland Trust Company Building Building in Ohio, U.S.

The Cleveland Trust Company Building is a 1907 building designed by George B. Post and located at the intersection of East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland's Nine-Twelve District. The building is a mix of Beaux-Arts, Neoclassical, and Renaissance Revival architectural styles. It features a glass-enclosed rotunda, a tympanum sculpture, and interior murals.

Mayfield Cemetery Cemetery in Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Mayfield Cemetery is a historic Jewish cemetery located at 2749 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Established in 1890, it is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Cuyahoga County and the only Jewish garden cemetery. A chapel was constructed in 1893. This was demolished and a large mausoleum, which included a chapel, was built in 1930.

Riverside Cemetery Gatehouse United States historic place

Riverside Cemetery Gatehouse is a historic office building located in Riverside Cemetery at 3607 Pearl Road in Cleveland, Ohio. It was completed in 1897, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. A significant interior renovation occurred about 1991 to 1992.

Knollwood Cemetery Cemetery in Mayfield Heights, Ohio

Knollwood Cemetery is a cemetery located at 1678 SOM Center Road in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Established in 1908, it is one of the largest cemeteries in Cuyahoga County. A mausoleum was completed in 1926, and an expansion finished in 1959. The cemetery's mausoleum, the largest in the state, boasts a number of windows by Tiffany & Co.

Wentworth Mausoleum Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Wentworth Mausoleum is a heritage-listed mausoleum located at 5 Chapel Road, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1872 to 1874 by Mansfield Brothers, architects. It is also known as Wentworth Mausoleum and site. The property is owned by Anglican Church Property Trust and is managed by Sydney Living Museums as part of Vaucluse House. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

Art Nouveau temples are churches, chapels, synagogues, and mosques built in the style known as Art Nouveau in French and English languages, Jugendstil in Germany and Nordic countries, Secessionsstil in countries of former Austro-Hungary, Modernisme in Catalan or Modern in Russian. As National Romantic style is also referred to Art Nouveau, churches of that style are also listed here, as well as some temples not of pure Art Nouveau style but with distinctive Art Nouveau features.

Monumental Cemetery of Mortara Cemetery in Mortara, Italy

The Monumental Cemetery of Mortara is located in the north-eastern outskirts of the city of Mortara, an Italian comune in the province of Pavia, in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. The Monumental Cemetery of Mortara is one of the biggest and most important cemeteries in the Lomellina area.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "The Wade Memorial Chapel". The Plain Dealer. December 25, 1898. p. 1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Chapel and Marble Crypt". The Plain Dealer. February 20, 1898. p. 12.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cemetery Notes". Park and Cemetery. March 1898. p. 19. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  5. ↑ Ellis 2012, p. 67.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Armstrong, Klein & Armstrong 1992, p. 60.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Beautiful Chapel and Receiving Vault Built By J.H. Wade". The Plain Dealer. May 18, 1902. p. 2.
  8. ↑ Owen 2008, p. 291.
  9. 1 2 Gilman, Peck & Colby 1905, p. 28.
  10. ↑ Bolton 1901, p. 92.
  11. ↑ "Annual Convention of Cemetery Superintendents". Park and Cemetery. September 1900. pp. 154–155. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  12. ↑ "To Keep Cemetery In Order". The Plain Dealer. June 9, 1899. p. 9.
  13. ↑ "Carabelli's Present". The Plain Dealer. December 27, 1898. p. 2.
  14. ↑ Armstrong, Klein & Armstrong 1992, pp. 60–61.
  15. 1 2 3 Armstrong, Klein & Armstrong 1992, p. 61.
  16. 1 2 Hubbell 1898, pp. 230–231.
  17. ↑ Hubbell 1898, pp. 231–232.
  18. 1 2 3 Dale 1923, p. 138.
  19. 1 2 3 "The Quarries That Coarse Grain Forgot". American Stone Trade. December 1, 1916. p. 37. hdl:2027/coo.31924097931749 . Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Monument Dealers of America at Cleveland". American Stone Trade. September 1, 1016. p. 15. hdl:2027/coo.31924097931749 . Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Barre Letter". The Monumental News. January 1899. p. 66. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  22. ↑ Campen 1971, p. 40.
  23. ↑ "Memorial Chapel". The Plain Dealer. March 9, 1898. p. 3.
  24. 1 2 3 4 McKean 1980, p. 184.
  25. ↑ Adams, David (January 2007). "Painting with Glass: The Opalescent Glass Art of Frederick Stymetz Lamb". Stained Glass Quarterly: 293.
  26. 1 2 Eidelberg, Gray & Hofer 2007, p. 37.
  27. ↑ Thomas, W.H. (May 1906). "Glass Mosaic—An Old Art With a New Distinction". The International Studio: 74–78. hdl:2027/gri.ark:/13960/t5bd0dw7d . Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  28. ↑ Rose 1990, p. 592.
  29. ↑ Pattinson, Alice M. Gould (1923). Art in Our Country. Washington, D.C.: American Federation of Arts. p. 41. hdl:2027/mdp.39015031513008.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.