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Information
Location:
1133 Mt. Hope
Avenue Rochester, NY
14620
Directions.
Constructed:
Ground broken
August 1909; Handed over
to the city in September
1910.
Decommissioned:
Late 70s, early
80s
Builders:
Gorsline & Swan
Construction Company.
Office was located in
the Powers building,
downtown Rochester.
Architect: John
Foster Warner; Rochester
Materials: Berea,
Ohio sandstone;
Concrete; white-pressed
brick; Italian marble;
Old English oak.
Cost:
$75,000
Accessibility:
closed - off limits |
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Easily the most prominent
structure in the cemetery is the yellowish
buff sandstone chapel that towers over the
MT Hope Ave gate. Often referred to as the
"1912 Chapel," it was actually constructed
from August of 1909 to August of 1910, when
it was turned over to the City of Rochester.
Built by the Rochester firm,
Gorsline & Swan Construction Company under
the mastery of Rochester architect
John Foster Warner, son of prominent architect
Andrew Jackson Warner (who designed the
Cemetery Gatehouse, the Powers Building,
Rochester and Buffalo's City Halls, amongst
others), the 1912 Chapel was designed in the
gothic revival style to match the 1874
chapel it was to replace. However, this was
constructed with modern materials, and
housed a state-of-the-art receiving vault.
The basement vault could store and process up to
275
bodies, essentially doing away with winter
burials, which at the time, was a
significant burden on the clergy and
cemetery crew.
The structure, built at a
final cost of $75,000, was based on old
English cathedral designs and built with
ornate gothic styling. The interior
woodwork, including the cathedral rafters
were crafted from old English Oak, as well
as the pews, which could seat up to 200. On
the east end, the fine Italian marble
chancel and pulpit are flanked by a 1910
Austin Organ Company pipe organ and oak
choir stands. In front of the pulpit is a
rectangular hole in the ground, lined with
white marble served as a hydraulic bier,
which lifted caskets from the basement crypt
to the chancel. The first such contraption
of its time, corroded remnants of this old
technology can be found in the basement.
Although the chapel was wired and strung
with modern lights, in its abandoned state,
most of the lamps and fixtures have been
destroyed, leaving the ornate stained glass
(remarkably well-intact) as the only source
of light.
The rest of the chapel is in
a state of accelerating decay. The basement,
once filled with crypts, boilers and coal
storage, is stripped nearly bare, with a
crumbling cement foundation, hanging light
fixtures and wiring and a creepy gold and
rust-colored metal crypt in a dark corner.
Although we did not encounter any live
birds, their droppings and the dried
carcasses of their deceased outnumbered the
beer bottles and cans left by loiterers. All
entrances have been boarded up and the
original wood doors to the vestibules have
been stowed. The congregational was in the
best shape, with the pews askew and covered
in dust and spider webs, but remaining
mostly intact. The chancel's white Italian
marble has lost its luster, but no
significant damage could be found. Sadly,
the Austin Organ Company pipe organ is
completely destroyed by what can be best
described as a scary
amount of bird poo. The wood structure
and ivory keys have been ruined by the
acidity, while pipes and their molding from
high up on the wall have collapsed and
crushed irreparably the majority of what
protrudes from the wall. Some furniture,
such as desks and informal chairs, still
adorn the rooms they were used in (although
vandals have done some damage). Primarily,
dust and coarse stone from the crumbling
infrastructure accounts for most of the
decay, while some rooms, including a
platform half-way up the steeple have an
excessive amount of bird dropping and
carcasses.
Seemingly, the chapel could
be cleaned up, the structure repaired, the
basement closed off, and the organ removed
or replaced without too much effort. It
could possibly host visitors as a summer
shelter, a visitor's center, or a museum of
the cemetery history.
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Noted
Rochester architect John Foster Warner
(1859-1937)
also designed the crematory add-on to the
1874 chapel in Mount Hope, which was
constructed in 1912. Son of acclaimed
Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner
(1833-1910) and Kate Foster, he took on the
family trade beginning in 1889, starting as
a draughtsman for his father's firm, he soon
became a partner, and started his own firm
in 1889. He designed some of Rochester's
most renowned structures until he retired in
1910.
He was the first president
of the Rochester chapter of the American
Institute of Architects and a member of the
Rochester City Planning commission as well
as the director of the Rochester Telephone
Company after he retired from architecture.
He was one of the first automobile owners in
New York State and spent much of his free
time racing. He was married to Mary L.
Adams and had two children, Andrew Jackson
Warner II, who became a respected theater
critic; and John Adams Warner, who aside
from being a successful concert pianist, ran
the New York State Police and introduced
many technological advancements to the
department.
Noted works of J.
Foster Warner
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1893: Granite Building,
Rochester, New York
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1894-1896: Monroe County
Courthouse, Rochester, New York
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1897: Sibley Triangle
Building, Rochester, New York
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1902: East High School,
Rochester, New York
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1903: Brick Presbyterian
Church Complex, Rochester, New York
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1905: George Eastman
House, Rochester, New York
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1924: National Company
Building, Rochester, New York
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1926: Rowe House,
Wayland, New York
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