Graceland Cemetery Chapel - Avoca Iowa - Cemetery Chapels on Waymarking.com

From the Nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places Inventory:

For well over a century, Graceland Chapel has been the focal point of Avoca's city cemetery, located on the northern edge of the city limits. This picturesque one-story octagonal building, at various times throughout its history has served as a temporary mausoleum, sexton's office, and general storage facility, as well as a place for holding funerals. Architecturally, the edifice exhibits the combined influence of both the Gothic RevivaI, Greek Revival, and Italianate styles, and its overall design and execution reflect well on its currently unknown architect/builder. Except for alterations to doorways and deterioration due to deferred maintenance, the chapel underwent little physical change over the years. Since 1984 the local historical society has been restoring it, a task yet to be completed.

Avoca's Grace land Chapel is one of two octagonal cemetery chapels known to be extant in Iowa. Octagonal buildings were never a common type in the state, and this one-story, wood frame example with eight foot sides is one of 50 survivors of the approximately 100 octagonal houses, barns, and public facilities erected in Iowa from the 1805's to 1940. Constructed around 1875 toward the end of the octagon craze in the state directly traceable to Orson Squire Fowler, Graceland Chapel features decorative elements drawn from the Greek Revival, Italianate, and Gothic
Revival styles that in conjunction with its unusual form gives the building a most pleasing and picturesque quality and a quiet dignity that belies its functions.

Visit the nomination form for this building at at (visit link) to learn more about the history of this chapel.

Graceland cemetery itself is a 5.1 acre (20,639 sq m) cemetery with over 3,000 memorials located in rural city of Avoca, IA (ZIP Code 51521).

Date of Chapel Construction: 1875 Denomination of Chapel or Cemetery (if applicable): Not applicable Active Chapel?: yes Main Construction Material of Chapel: Wood Description of Cemetery added in Long Description: yes

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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   08/26/2023 The Snowdog visited it