News Releases
New Custom-Design Addresses Trend Favoring Cremation Interments
ATLANTA, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new two-story mausoleum is now open at Arlington Memorial Park, a Dignity Memorial® property, in Sandy Springs, Ga.
Joining the list of historic firsts for Metro Atlanta while addressing the increasing popularity of cremations, Legacy Chapel is the first memorial structure of its kind designed and built as a permanent resting place.
Fitted with porcelain floors and floor-to-ceiling inurnment spaces, Legacy Chapel includes a combination of 1,900 niches and 800 crypts with options for family members to rest in peace together, adjacent to an indoor-outdoor event space for funeral gatherings and receptions.
"We took special care to design Legacy Chapel with new features such as illuminated glass-front niches in which family members may display and view their loved one's cherished mementos or keepsakes," said Dave Hass, senior managing director of Arlington Memorial Park. "We also built-in an event space that is, at once, intimate for small gatherings or expansive enough to accommodate large groups with beautiful, natural lighting and, creating a unique memorial option for families."
According to the National Funeral Directors Association 2024 Cremation and Burial Report, an annual summary of trends in the funeral industry, cremation rates in the U.S. are expected to increase significantly, reaching 82.1% by 2024, while burial rates are projected to drop to 13.3%. The same report cites that in 2024 the rate of burial is expected to decrease by 1.3 percent since last year, dropping to 33.2% in the U.S.
The Arlington Memorial Park team collaborated with architects and interior designers on several aspects of the project. Leaders at Dignity Memorial® said they chose Arlington Memorial Park for specific reasons.
"We strive to meet the expanding scope of needs for permanent resting places for the ashes of loved ones, and Legacy Chapel establishes a thoughtful and desirable new option for families who are making a very personal decision during an emotional planning process," said Hass.
Arlington Memorial Park engaged Robert Day Architecture starting in fall 2021 and broke ground in November 2022. The park engaged local design firm Jamie Kirkman Interiors starting in February 2024 and the team collaborated on fixtures, lighting, flooring and other features to make them both suitable and timeless for a mausoleum. Legacy Chapel is the fifth community mausoleum erected at Arlington Memorial Park.
About Arlington Memorial Park
Situated on 122 wooded acres of rolling hills along Mount Vernon Highway in north Atlanta's Sandy Springs community, Arlington Memorial Park has provided exceptional cemetery services since 1922. Featuring mature trees, two lakes and an array of options to inter loved ones, the park welcomes and celebrates the lives of families from all faiths, backgrounds and cultures as a non-denominational cemetery operated by Dignity Memorial®, part of Service Corporation International. For more information visit ArlingtonMemorialPark.com.
About Dignity Memorial®
The Dignity Memorial® network of about 1,900 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America's most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and attention to detail like no other. For more information, visit DignityMemorial.com.
Contacts:
Beth Dombrowa. 713-525-5235
beth.dombrowa@sci-us.com
Nicholas Wolaver, 678-358-7476
nicholas.wolaver@gmail.com
Nancy Tao, 404-472-6895
nancy@taocommunications.com
SOURCE Dignity Memorial