Story Chapel Columbarium Pathway in progress
Story Chapel Columbarium Pathway after first round of plantings , June 2024
Story Chapel Columbarium Pathway
Mount Auburn serves many purposes for visitors from our nearby communities and beyond . We are honored to provide a landscape to those interested in birding , horticulture , citizen science , history , the arts , and , as an active cemetery , we are dedicated to maintaining this place to comfort the bereaved . With this mission in mind and with the generosity of one of our loyal donors , we are thrilled to announce the completion of our Story Chapel Columbarium pathway ( photos left ). This multi-year improvement project provides an accessible route down to the Columbarium beneath Story Chapel for families to visit loved ones who are interred within . While traversing the new pathway , the entrance of which is located on the south side of Story Chapel along Fountain Avenue , one can see a wealth of new plantings including , but not limited to : Japanese Stewartia ( Stewartia pseudocamelia ), Paperbark Maple ( Acer griseum ), Pitch Pine ( Pinus rigida ), Henry ’ s Garnet Sweetspire ( Itea virginica ), Anise Hyssop ( Agastache ‘ Blue Fortune ’), Hubricht ’ s Bluestar ( Amsonia hubrichtii ), and Fragrant Angel Purple Coneflower ( Echinaceae pupurea ‘ Fragrant Angel ’).
Taken together with recent horticulture projects in our front entrance area , including the renovation of Asa Gray Garden and the Indian Ridge Path habitat improvement , these plantings along the Columbarium pathway and around the perimeter of Story Chapel and our Administration Building add another layer of all-season beauty for our visitors .
Front Precinct Pedestrian Walkways
A final piece to the puzzle of creating a safer , more accessible front entrance required thoughtfully improving the intermediary space along Central Avenue . In previous years , upon entering the Cemetery , visitors were met with sidewalk only partway down the right side of Central Avenue ; on the left , there was only turf and curbing until one reached the Story Chapel patio . Now , visitors can access our offices , visitor center , and the Story Chapel columbarium with a sidewalk that wraps from the north , along the west , and to the south side of these buildings . This addition allows for a more seamless coexistence of pedestrian and vehicle traffic , and new wooden benches and lighting in this area further accommodate visitor needs during the day and for evening events .
Our new pedestrian walkway wraps around to the back of Story Chapel on Fountain Avenue .
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