Coming Soon: A New Welcome Center!

As part of this work, we are creating a Welcome Center at the historic Gatehouse where friendly and welcoming staff and volunteers will greet and orient Cemetery visitors, provide wayfinding assistance and connect visitors with interpretive materials like maps and guides that celebrate the depth and breadth of Mount Auburn's collections and stories.  The Welcome Center will also house a new gift shop featuring items that relate to Mount Auburn's landscape, history, or mission. An expanded plaza, featuring benches and rich horticultural plantings, will bring Mount Auburn's renowned landscape to our threshold while serving as a place for rest and for gathering.   

Preservation work on the historic granite structure, which has been approved by the Cambridge Historical Commission, will be completed in March.  This work will be followed by the installation of a new bluestone plaza in April and May.

The area will be inaccessible to visitors while work is ongoing. All vehicle entrances will continue to be open during work, but please be mindful of signs and changes to traffic flow. In addition, we will take steps to minimize noise and dust throughout the construction.  We anticipate work concluding in early June.

During this project, the Visitors Center will be temporarily located in Story Chapel when not in use for services. This work will be fully funded by private donors to Mount Auburn.

Visitors Center Hours: Mon-Sun 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

This summer, Mount Auburn’s historic Gateway resumes its original role as a place of welcome, reflection, and connection. We invite you to begin—or end—your visit at the new Welcome Center and continue a tradition nearly two centuries in the making. Become part of Mount Auburn's legacy of openness and welcome with a gift in support of this historic entrance.

Gifts of $250 and up qualify you for an invitation to the Welcome Center's opening ceremony later this year, where you will receive special recognition with an exclusive commemorative gift.

Want to make an even greater impact? Name one of eight benches at the new Welcome Center to signal your support of our urban oasis. For more details, click the Donate button below!