When planning a new feature columbarium for Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia, Ontario, the team at Columbarium USA was asked to address a challenge that has long puzzled cemetery managers: how do you make the bottom tier niches of a columbarium more desirable?

Traditionally referred to as “the basement,” the lowest row of niches are often overlooked by families making interment decisions. The bottom row niches are furthest from eye level, less visible, and commonly the last to sell. But instead of accepting this limitation, Columbarium USA —in collaboration with architect Rob Hilton and with input from the cemetery manager— reimagined what the base of a columbarium could be.

The result was the Ascension Feature, a bold, cantilevered niche redesign that not only enhances aesthetics but also opens new opportunities for functionality, memorialization, and profitability.

In almost every cemetery, the bottom tier niches of a columbarium are typically the least desired interment space. Despite being structurally sound and functionally identical to higher rows, these niches are visually disconnected from the visitor experience.

The solution? Turn that disadvantage into a design feature.

By engineering the bottom row niche to be deeper, it extends outward to support a cantilevered shutter door that angles upward, this Ascension Feature naturally draws the eye downward when standing beside the columbarium. Rather than being hidden beneath the line of sight, the bottom row now appears more prominent—welcoming attention, reverence, and interest. The niche’s upward-facing shutter door also provides a larger granite shutter surface, offering more room for inscriptions, family names, or custom etching, which enhances memorialization options.

This innovation at Lakeview Cemetery was a first-of-its-kind, and it is already reshaping how the industry views columbarium design.

One of the unexpected benefits of the Ascension design was the additional internal volume created by the Accessions’ extended niche base and cantilevered shutter. This added space makes it possible to offer a “family interment” niche, large enough to accommodate more than two urns.

As family preferences evolve toward group memorialization, this feature becomes increasingly attractive. Families can now be placed together in a single niche, creating not only emotional value but also long-term interment planning benefits.

Because these niches serve multiple family members, they can be sold at a premium—making them some of the most profitable units in a columbarium, despite the once-unfavorable location.

Beyond the standard models, the Ascension Feature can be further customized. For example, by removing an internal side wall, the design can transform into a double-width niche, capable of holding 4 to 6 urns, depending on urn size. These expanded niches feature:

• A wider key-locking inner door
• A double-width granite shutter
• More surface area for names, dates, or engraved artwork

This double-width Ascension niche configuration is ideal for large families or those seeking a group interment space with a unified design. It’s a perfect solution for those who want to preserve legacy and connection over generations.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Ascension Niche Feature is its flexibility. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution—it can be custom-designed into nearly any columbarium model, giving cemeteries and architects enormous creative freedom.

Here are a few ways it can be integrated:

• Straight-Line Columbarium Walls: Add the Ascension feature to any of our Legacy Columbarium models or long single sided columbarium walls to break up visual monotony and draw attention to the featured bottom row niches.
• Curved Models: Integrate the Ascension into the interior or exterior curves of our Chinook Columbaria by adding a unique design feature to a graceful curve.
• Corner Installations: Design the Ascension Feature to join with another columbarium wall to create intimate custom corner columbarium garden configurations
• Endwalls & Garden Accents: Integrate Ascension family niches into the end walls of Chinook or Legacy columbaria to create a structurally balanced and visually prominent termination point.

The Ascension Feature not only maximizes interment capacity but also functions as a compelling design element within the overall columbarium layout. Contact us to explore how this niche configuration can enhance the architectural impact of your project.

Where space permits, the deeper footprint of the Ascension niches provides a meaningful opportunity to add distinction and value. The feature works especially well in highly landscaped areas, along sidewalks, or near gathering spaces, where benches may limit viewing angles. With the Ascension, even a walk-by experience draws attention to what’s often been ignored.