Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn A Healing and Meditative Landscape | Page 6

Bigelow Chapel
Under the direction of the award-winning architecture
firm William Rawn Associates, Bigelow Chapel is being
revitalized to meet the changing needs of families and
the visiting public. A new entrance providing universal
access will graciously welcome everyone arriving to
attend a private family service or a public event. New
multi-use gathering spaces will provide numerous options
for intimate memorial services in a non-denominational
setting, informal receptions following services or burials,
and a host of public events. A modern state-of-the-art
Crematory, replacing an existing but outdated facility, will
prepare Mount Auburn for the growing public interest
in cremation and ensure the institution’s place as a 21st-
century leader within the cemetery industry.
A Disciplined Business Investment
Mount Auburn left a lasting mark on our nation’s history
with its founding in 1831. Among its many important
legacies, the Cemetery permanently changed the way
Americans thought about burying and commemorating
their dead. For nearly two centuries, Mount Auburn has
evolved its offerings and services in response to changing
trends and preferences about burial and commemoration.
Preparing for its future as an active cemetery, Mount
Auburn has developed a new business plan that emphasizes
a more diverse choice of cremation and end-of-life services
to supplement the sale of new burial space. Growing these
areas of the Cemetery’s business and diversifying its sources
of earned revenue will ensure the financial health and
stability of Mount Auburn for decades to come.
Informing Mount Auburn’s decision to expand its
cremation offerings and chapel rental program are industry
predictions that chart a rapid growth in the national crema-
tion rate and an increased demand for more personalized
and unique end-of-life celebrations. Mount Auburn’s
experiences align with these industry predictions, having
already seen a steady growth in the demand for cremation
services and a dramatic rise in the use of its two chapels for
services and memorial receptions. To date, the Cemetery
has absorbed this increased demand, but the limitations of
its existing facilities have hindered its ability to expand of-
ferings and services in the future. In 2016, Mount Auburn’s
trustees approved an ambitious plan to revitalize Bigelow
Chapel, seeing the project as a disciplined investment in
the Cemetery’s core business activity, which will support
Mount Auburn’s current initiatives and its business plan.
4 | Sweet Auburn
An Improved Facility for
Private and Public Events
Increasingly, Bigelow Chapel is being used for
unique and personalized end-of-life events
and innovative public programs. The current
building enhancement project, featuring a
new glass addition and facility improvements,
will ensure the ongoing use of the Chapel for
decades to come.
A graceful addition connected to the
historic Chapel will offer a space for per-
sonalized and meaningful private gatherings.
Referencing the founding vision that nature
be used to console the bereaved, the addition
features floor-to-ceiling glass that visually
connects visitors within the space to the
beautiful and meditative landscape outside.
Within the addition, families will be able to
gather before services held in the Chapel
or the Crematory. Within this same space,
families can ho