Mount Auburn’s Administration Building Restored

In 1990 a major rehabilitation of the Administration Building was completed by Architect Ann Beha. The Administration Building was designed in 1896 by Willard T. Sears in the “English Perpendicular Style.” Over the years, it has undergone many changes to accommodate changing needs and uses. Until the 1930s, Mount Auburn’s executive offices were located in Boston. In 1935 the Cemetery decided to close its downtown offices and relocate all administrative functions to the Administration Building in the Cemetery. In 1935 the interior was remodeled to include a family room and in 1961 the basement was rehabilitated for bookkeeping purposes. The space was redecorated again in 1963 and air conditioning was added in 1973.
In 1990, the office was modernized while preserving and restoring the building’s historic features. Changes included removing an obscured skylight in favor of a lantern to bring natural light into the reception area, adding a climate control archival storage room, creating more individual administration office and updating the heating and air conditioning systems.
- 1990, prior to restoration
- Reception Area
- Individual Administrative Offices
- The lantern
- President’s Office
In 2015 the family and conference rooms underwent preservation and redecorating again.
A full article on the 1990 Restoration project can be found in Sweet Auburn, Spring 1991.
Black & White photos by David Hewitt and Anne Garrison.
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