Town Explores Repairs for Historic Chapel of Saint Gabriel the Archangel
The Town of Norwood is taking steps to evaluate and restore the Chapel of Saint Gabriel the Archangel located in Highland Cemetery. The Norwood Historical Commission recently informed the Board of Selectmen that the 80-year-old neo-Gothic mortuary structure is in urgent need of refurbishing, offering to draft formal repair recommendations.
Following a summer inspection, Historical Commission Chairman William A. Gifford reported that the commission discovered “marked physical and aesthetic deterioration.” To tackle the project, the commission proposed a restoration effort modeled after the recent successful reassembling of the Tilton Carillon at Town Hall.
Town Manager John J. Carroll updated selectmen this week, noting that Building Inspector John E. Grover was actively investigating the building’s structural needs. A formal proposal to fund the chapel’s restoration could be placed before the annual town meeting the following spring.
Architectural Significance and National Register Bid-October 21, 1983
Gifford described the non-denominational mortuary chapel as “Norwood’s most outstanding historic and cultural property.” Donated to the town by the Lewis Day family in 1903, the building is an original design by renowned Boston church architect Ralph Adams Cram.
To secure its long-term preservation, the commission initiated steps to enroll the chapel in the National Register of Historic Places. Gifford explained that achieving national register status would heighten local awareness, establish a permanent upkeep plan to encourage greater community use, and significantly improve eligibility for federal, state, and matching preservation grants. Additionally, local fundraising drives were under consideration.
To ensure historical accuracy, Gifford noted that the prominent Boston architectural firm Hoyle, Doran & Berry—successors to Cram’s original architectural practice—had been contacted and expressed strong interest in consulting on the restoration project.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Selectmen Approve Year-Round Pay Plan For Public Works Employees-This Day in Norwood History-April 2, 1943
A vote of Norwood selectmen has adopted a plan submitted by General Manager Francis W Smith which will give full time employees in the town’s Public Works department a fixed weekly salary, 52 weeks of the year. Employees of the Public Works and Cemetery departments are being sent full explanation of the new system. It…
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Cemetery Cannon To Be Removed For Salvage-This Day in Norwood History-July 15, 1942
This Day in Norwood History-July 15, 1942-Cemetery Cannon To Be Removed For Salvage
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Judge Halloran of Dedham Court Is Dead at 70-This Day In Norwood History-January 10, 1941
JUDGE JAMES A. HALLORAN NORWOOD. Jan. 9—Judge James A. Halloran, 70, associate justice of Dedham District Court for 30 years, and Norwood town counsel and moderator for 25 years, died today at his home, 153 Pleasant st. He leaves a wife, three sisters, Margaret, Mary, and Nellie, of Concord, N. H., and two brothers, Joseph…
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Norwood Cemetery Damaged by Vandals-This Day in Norwood History-August 28, 1939
This Day in Norwood History- August 28, 1939-Norwood Cemetery Damaged by Vandals
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Louis D’Espinosa Named Cemetery Head By Manager-This Day in Norwood History-June 23, 1939
This Day in Norwood History-June 23, 1939-Louis D’Espinosa Named Cemetery Head By Manager
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Tales of Tyot-The Christmas Heart of Tiot
o—0—o Hanging A Holly Wreath Of Memories Around Tiot’s Village Hall And Square. A Merry Christmas At “The Hook” To Old And New Timers From Author In the summer of 1915 they cut the heart out of Tiot, threw it on the railroad embankment like a dead cat, and put In a new heart, in…
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Norwood Lads Held For Defacing Tomb-This Day In Norwood History-May 4, 1932
Judge Also Orders Perjury Charge Against Pair May 4, 1932—Two Norwood youths, Patrick Curran, 18, of Warren st, and Everett Saunders of Nahatan st, were held in $1500 each for the Grand Jury today when Judge Clifford B. Sanborn of the Dedham District Court found probable cause on two complaints of carrying a revolver and…
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Frank 0. Winslow, Dead at 81-This Day In Norwood History-January 22, 1926
Founder of Leather Firm Ill Some Time Had Served in Many Town Offices and in Legislature NORWOOD, Jan 22— Francis O. Winslow, 81, one of the founders of the leather firm of Winslow Brothers and the first president of the Norwood Cooperative Bank, died this morning at the Corey Hill Hospital in Brookline, where he…
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P. F. Brennan Of Norwood Succumbs-This Day In Norwood History-January 10, 1926
Messenger in Bay State House Since 1913 Friend of President Coolidge Dies of Heart Attack at Table NORWOOD, Jan 10—Patrick F Brennan, a messenger in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 1913, who was a personal friend of President Coolidge and popularly known to the State Republican leaders, died suddenly of a heart attack today,…
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Planning Board Has Done Excellent Work-This Day In Norwood History-May 19, 1923
Norwood’s Planning Board Unveils an Ambitious Vision for a “Town Beautiful” In the spring of 1923, Norwood residents were invited to look toward the future with the release of the most comprehensive Planning Board report the town had ever produced. The document celebrated more than a decade of civic improvement and laid out an ambitious…
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