From horse drawn carriages to the first automobiles, to limousines and tour buses, Elmwood’s historic Gatehouse has proved an enchanting and symbolic passageway to a cemetery rich with history and splendor. For over 125 years, The Gatehouse has served as the main gate and entryway into Historic Elmwood Cemetery. Built in 1870, it was designed in a late Victorian Gothic style by architect Gordon Lloyd and constructed of quarried limestone for a cost of $7,000. On either side of the gateway arch, the building was constructed to house the cemetery’s offices. Updates in the 1890’s included indoor plumbing and a records vault with 20” thick concrete floors, walls and ceilings that is still used today.

Having welcomed many thousands of people over the years through its passageway, The Gatehouse was closed as an entryway in 2003 to accommodate the increasingly larger vehicles entering the cemetery. While the whole structure was renovated, the most dramatic change was turning the existing passageway into a formal reception area . This new area maintains the old-world Victorian feel with dramatic floor to ceiling arched windows, walnut-finished oak paneling, stone floors, and a vaulted twenty-foot high wood beamed ceiling to welcome guests. The design was carried through to state-of-the-art executive offices that provide the latest technology and services to Elmwood’s families and visitors. The leading architectural firm in cemetery design, J. Stuart Todd, designed the renovations to the building, and McCarthy & Smith, Inc. of Farmington Hills, Michigan provided the construction.

Standing as a stately reminder of the rich history that surrounds Elmwood, The Gatehouse still serves as Elmwood’s main office. A driveway circling the building, provides easy entry into the cemetery. The Gatehouse is located at 1200 Elmwood Avenue, at the corner of Bradby Drive, one half-block north of Lafayette Blvd.