Laurel Hill, designed in 1836 by John Notman, is the first cemetery in the United States to be honored as a National Historic Landmark. Our iconic Gatehouse at Laurel Hill East is the last remaining original building in the cemetery and serves to symbolize thousands of significant stories and legacies behind the gravestones, monuments, and landscape in its midst.

Rehabilitation of the historic Gatehouse began on May 3, 2024, with a commencement celebration. All tours and events will continue as scheduled throughout construction and our offices remain open for visitors. The Gatehouse rehabilitation, which will completed next spring, represents another milestone in the stewardship of Laurel Hill as a resource for generations to come.

Laurel Hill is grateful for support from the Historic Preservation Fund of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior; The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program Grant; and the William B. Dietrich Foundation.

This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior under Grant Number P22AP02269-00. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Interior.

Beginning August 1, Laurel Hill will begin improvements to Cameo Drive, a 1.5-acre spur of the regional Circuit Trails Network adjacent to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail’s Barmouth Gateway. This popular trail segment bisects Laurel Hill West and is heavily used year-round by pedestrians and cyclists, particularly those seeking a safe connection through the cemetery from the Cynwyd Heritage Trail to the Pencoyd Bridge Trailhead and Schuylkill River Trail beyond.  This work will be done over a 10-week period, from early August until mid-October.  During this time, the cemetery’s Barmouth Gateway will be closed to all pedestrians and cyclists.  Several roads surrounding the construction site will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well.  Signage and cones will be placed to clearly demarcate inaccessible areas.

The improvements involve regrading and repaving the roadways for improved stormwater management, installing speed humps, adding amenities like new teak benches and a picnic table, installing new wayfinding and interpretive signage, and planting over 30 new trees, 85 new shrubs, and hundreds of bulbs and groundcover. Approximately 250 new graves will also be created within this beautiful new landscape.  For your safety during construction, please obey all signage and respect Laurel Hill’s road closures.

Laurel Hill is embarking on an exciting new project to expand and beautify the Mausoleum of Peace area of Laurel Hill West. The expansion project will include an additional 75 new crypt spaces as well as 225 new cremation niches. In addition to the new available cemetery property, the project will also transform the grounds around the Mausoleum of Peace into a peaceful woodland sanctuary with waking paths and lush gardens that will highlight its architecture.

There may be times when areas will be inaccessible when visiting your loved one or accessibility may require you to enter over uneven ground. Construction of the entire project will occur over the course of the next year, with completion anticipated in Spring 2025. Please visit this page for updates on the progress of yet another milestone improvement for Laurel Hill.

The Hillside Ecological Restoration project involves removing invasive vegetation and installing approximately three acres of native landscape on the slopes of Laurel Hill East along Kelly Drive and West Hunting Park Avenue.

The goal of this project is to create an ecologically sensitive design that establishes a new native landscape providing food and refuge for wildlife, while also reducing erosion and stormwater runoff along the Kelly Drive frontage. We are currently in Phase III of the project, focusing on removing invasive species, stabilizing the hillside, and planting native grasses and forbs further north along the steep hillside that connects the cemetery with Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River.

This multi-year project, expected to be completed by June 2026, has received additional funding from the 25th Century Foundation, Laurel Hill Cemetery Company, the Henry A. Jordan, M.D., Preservation Excellence Fund, and private donations.