The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Holy Cross Cemetery

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Holy Cross Cemetery (1950s), Stonehill College

Holy Cross Cemetery (2003), Stonehill College

Institution Name: Stonehill College
Original/Historic Place Name: Ames Rose Garden
Location on Campus: Rt. 138 entrance (Our Lady of Holy Cross Property)
Date(s) of Construction:

1905	original construction Parker, Thomas & Rice

Designer: Parker, Thomas & Rice
Type of Place: Landscape site
Style: (Glossary)
Significance: culture, history, landscape
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Function:

ca. 1905	garden (private rose garden, Ames family)
ca. 1935-1948	garden (vegetable garden, Holy Cross Fathers)
ca. 1948-present (2006)	memorial site (cemetery of the Foundation of Our Lady of Holy Cross)

Narrative:
Originally a rose garden designed for the Ames estate by architects Parker, Thomas & Rice of Boston, this walled site remains an important part of the Stonehill Campus, serving as the cemetery of the Holy Cross Fathers. The brick walls are original and have not been altered. After the purchase of the property in 1935, the site was used as a vegetable garden until in 1950 permission was granted by the town of Easton for its use as a cemetery.

The property that Stonehill College occupies was originally owned by the Foundation of Our Lady of Holy Cross, which founded the College in 1948. In 1972, through the process of alienation, Stonehill College was incorporated as a separate entity and the although the Foundation of Our Lady of Holy Cross continues to sponsor Stonehill, the property was divided. Though on land owned by the Foundation of Holy Cross, the cemetery sits at the Rt. 138 entrance of the College, and is passed by all those using this entrance to enter the college. The property distinction is not publicized because of the close ties between the College and the Foundation of Our Lady of Holy Cross.

Because the original design of the rose garden for the Ames estate has been preserved and the area remains an important part of Stonehill College, we have included it on this survey.

References: