Repurposed Funeral Homes Welcome New Life

The Mortuary Haunted Mansion and Event Venue, New Orleans, LA
Photo Credit: Connecting Directors

With the popularity of the home renovation show, “Ugliest House in America,” hosted by comedienne Retta, audiences are getting a look at former businesses turned into homes. Perhaps the most intriguing is the home of Noel and Renee Johnson in Blue Earth, Minnesota, which was once a funeral home. In line with the theme, the couple closed on the home on Halloween night, 2020.

The Johnson family in front of their home in Blue Earth. In the back is Noel holding Oaks, and in the front, left to right, are Sydney, Anchor, Quincey and Renee Johnson.
Photo Credit: Fairbault County Register

The Johnsons aren’t the only ones attempting to breathe new life into shuttered funeral homes. All across North America, families and businesses are purchasing former mortuaries and revamping them into something special. Here are just a few:

The Mortuary Haunted Mansion and Event Venue, New Orleans, LA

The Mortuary is an icon of old New Orleans at the very dead end of world-famous Canal Street.

Perhaps the obvious first choice for a former funeral home would be for a business-savvy entrepreneur to turn it into a haunted house. The Mortuary in New Orleans was built in 1872 and existed for over 80 years as a working funeral home. It has been the city’s premiere Halloween destination since 2007. The Mortuary purports housing real ghosts, a claim which has been verified by the Travel Channel. When it’s not hosting the annual themed haunting, customers can rent the space for catered events.

Undergrounds Coffee House and Roastery, Buffalo, NY

Undergrounds Coffee
Photo Credit: Connecting Directors

Undergrounds Coffee beanie

The owners of Undergrounds Coffee have fully committed to their death theme, with every menu item named after a deceased person with connection to Buffalo, New York, or coffee. The coffee shop’s merchandise is branded with skeletons or famous dead celebrities, and the shop itself is reminiscent of Day of the Dead decor. Stepping into the cafe is like an eternal celebration of death and those who’ve passed one before us.

Weidemann’s Brewery and Taproom, Cincinnati, OH

Wiedemann’s offers a unique site for guests.
Photo Credit: Wiedemann’s Brewery & Taproom

In 2017, the former Imwalle Funeral Home was transformed into a three-story tap room, the newest site for the local brewing company, Wiedemann’s. The beer mogul was looking for new ground, and the former funeral home became the best place to offer locals all their famous brews. Since 1870, Wiedemann’s has been producing beer and keeping Midwest populations satiated. Now, they bring in many customers to their beautiful sun deck and tree-lined beer garden. Where the dead were once mourned, people now come to celebrate milestones, meet up with friends, and share stories.

Blumberg Family Mansion, Dresden, Ontario, CA

The Blumbergs purchased the funeral home in 2021
Photo Credit: Business Insider

Perhaps the most recently famous for re-purposing closed funeral homes is the Blumberg family, who purchased this massive home in 2021. After buying the home for just over half a million dollars, the Blumbergs have invested almost as much in turning the mortuary into their dream mansion. With 38 rooms, the Blumberg residence features special spaces, like the “Casket Bar,” “Body Box” and “Enchanted Forest.” The family’s show on Discovery+, We Bought a Funeral Home, reveals their Addams Family type love of the macabre and eerie experiences in the 140-year-old funeral home.

The Casket Bar in the Blumberg’s mansion
Photo Credit: Business Insider

With an ever-growing fascination with death and all things morbid and ghastly, the popularity of making shuttered funeral homes into something new won’t be dying down anytime soon. In the end, the Johnson’s family home wasn’t chosen as the ugliest in America. In fact, Retta thought the building was a church, which makes sense for the decorative doors and lobby. While the HGTV show used spooky music during the Johnson’s segment, there wasn’t too much of a creep factor to be seen. Instead, just awkwardly placed staircases and floor plans, which screamed run-down local business more than family home. However, the fact that dad Noel Johnson attended several funerals in the building as a child may impact the family’s relationship with the house.

All of these homes and businesses remind us there is always an opportunity to start over, to build something new with what remains.