Restoration · September 28, 2026
The Receiving Vault needs a new roof. Here is the plan.
Our 1883 vault is leaking. A heritage mason has a plan, and we are more than halfway to the $120,000 it will cost.
The Receiving Vault on the Pioneer Ground was built in 1883 to hold caskets through the winter, when the ground was too hard to dig. It has not been used for that since the 1950s, but it is one of only a handful of its kind still standing in the county, and it is listed on the Elderbrook heritage register.
Last spring our staff found water coming through the vault ceiling. An assessment by a heritage mason found the original slate roof has failed in two places and the limestone parapet is shifting. Left alone, the rear wall could be at risk within five years.
The repair plan keeps as much original material as possible: the slates will be lifted, sorted and relaid with matching reclaimed slate where needed, and the parapet will be rebuilt on a new lime mortar bed. Moses Calder's iron door hinges will be removed, cleaned and rehung.
The total cost is $120,000. A municipal heritage grant covers $40,000, and Friends of Hollowmere members have given $28,400 so far. Work will start in May 2027 if we reach the goal by March.
