Unused for 50 years, granite cemetery chapel undergoes renovation

Stephen Tait

November 29, 2007 11:36 pm

— More than five decades have passed since anyone has used the Ellen T. Brown Chapel for a funeral.
But in the next year or so, the chapel, part of the historic Oak Hill Cemetery off State Street, may play host to not just funerals but also to weddings, chamber music concerts, historical lectures and other events.
“The sky is the limit as far as what it can be used for,” said Ghlee Woodworth, a member of the cemetery’s Board of Trustees and the project manager for the renovation of the chapel. “I think it is just a wonderful historical asset for the city of Newburyport.”
It was, in fact, Woodworth’s late father who performed the last funeral ceremony in the building in 1953. Since then, it has sat unused, with the occasional window smashed by a trouble-making teenager, Woodworth said.
The chapel was built in 1914, using money donated in 1900 by John T. Brown, who died in 1901, and funding later added by Brown’s relatives. It is named after Brown’s wife, Ellen. The chapel is also one of three granite buildings in Newburyport, along with the Custom House on Water Street and the old jail.
Woodworth said the chapel closed when it did because the modern funeral home was becoming popular, and people no longer used the chapel for funerals.
It wasn’t until recently that Oak Hill Cemetery trustees decided that it was time to put some work into fixing up the building so it could be used by the public and become a resource for the city. That renovation officially started on Aug. 6.
Since then, Mike Grondin, of Grondin Construction Restoration and Renovation, has worked on the exterior of the building. That work was completed earlier this month.
Grondin power-washed the granite building, replaced the windows, repaired the roof and completed other restorations. Sculptors Jeff and Lindly Briggs helped to build a replica of a bas-relief urn with swags because the original on the front of the chapel could not be restored.
Now the project moves on to its next step: renovating the interior of the building.
But that may prove more difficult since cemetery officials will rely on grants and donations for the work, Woodworth said. The exterior renovation cost about $95,000, but the nonprofit raised that money through selling some of its land.
Inside, the building smells musty, the surfaces are covered in dust and the plastered ceiling is brown in some spots from a leak in the roof. But Woodworth said the structure is fine, and the floor is in good shape.
Woodworth said the goal is to be finished by next fall. Officials already have received a commitment from the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank for $5,000 to help restore 13 of the original pews from the chapel, which will seat about 65 guests.
“It is in really good shape, structurally,” Woodworth said. “People are very excited about it.”
Eric Daum, an architect at Merrimack Design Associates, which has been advising on the chapel project, said the building is best described as a neo-Palladian building, a style named after Italian architect Andrea Palladio, who wrote the very influential “The Four Books of Architecture” in 1570.
The themes in those books influenced English architecture, Daum said, and the chapel is a revival of Palladio’s work.
Daum said the most striking characteristics are the classic temple front with three arches rather than columns and the “geometric simplicity” of the chapel, which is a large rectangular shape.
“I think it is a spectacular building,” Daum said. “I think it is a really a landmark for Newburyport, and I am really glad that other people are recognizing its beauty and trying to make it more of a landmark in the city. It is really lovely.”

Those wishing to send in donations to help fund the renovation of chapel’s interior can send money to Woodworth, who lives at 51 Prospect St.


The Ellen T. Brown Chapel
r Part of Oak Hill Cemetery
r Built in 1914
r Hosted funeral ceremonies
r Closed in 1953
r Renovations for the building expected to be finished by next fall
r Will be used for funerals, weddings, chamber music concerts, ect.
r Owned by a nonprofit Board of Trustees

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