It's easy to be overwhelmed by the history and artistry of Wade Memorial Chapel,which was commissioned by J.H. Wade II to honor his grandfather, Western Union Telegraph Co. founder and Lake View Cemetery president Jeptha H. Wade. So we asked veteran docent Wayne Bifano to show us around the 1901-built chapel.
The Window
The Architecture
The chapel was actually built at Tiffany Studios in Corona, New York. It was then disassembled and shipped on the Erie Canal to Cleveland. The massive bronze doors, however, each weighing 2 tons, were manufactured in Cleveland. "The doors introduce visitors to the chapel storyline, with their egg and dart design, representing life and death, the full cycle of existence," says Bifano.
The Weddings
Wade can actually be booked for weddings — a fitting double usage for a commitment chapel. With seating for 65, the chapel averages between seven and 12 weddings per year. "When people say, 'Weddings? In a funeral chapel?' I'll say, 'Well, why not?' " says Bifano. "Lake View is not about celebrating death so much as celebrating a person's life."
The Underworld
Before motorized digging equipment, the chapel served another purpose. Hidden below it are two receiving vault chambers capable of holding 96 caskets. Following a funeral, the deceased were lowered from the chapel into the vault for the cold months. "In 1900, the ground was frozen and people had to be stored until the springtime," says Bifano. "It was a very utilitarian-type thing."
The Murals
