Two funeral homes to be built on Airport Road

Workers are building a funeral home at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens Cemetery on Airport Road, and at the same time, Serenity Funeral Homes and Cremation Services, headquartered in downtown Roanoke, is renovating the former Terrace Theatre at Crossroads Mall into a funeral home.

“Our business has really grown,” said Dwight Steele Sr., president of Serenity, which is family owned.

Large funerals, held in the 300-seat chapel on Gilmer Street, can be so packed that people have to stand, he said. And there's not enough parking for large events, he said. The company bought the 56-year-old former theater in spring 2022 and received permission in March to renovate the more than 20,000-square-foot site. The site is on the northeast corner of the mall along Airport Road.

The theater's seats will be removed and workers will build a new chapel with benches that will seat 450. The project will begin in phases, with the first phase being completed in six weeks and the second in three months, Steele said.

The Gilmer headquarters has two viewing rooms, but the renovated theater will have eight, Steele added. The company is also waiting for government approval for a crematorium at the proposed site. Steele said he believes there will be ample parking at the new site.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 feet northwest, Houston-based SCI Funeral Services of Virginia is building a 7,000-square-foot funeral home at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens Cemetery, according to city records. The roughly 52-acre cemetery will include 11 gardens, a chapel mausoleum, a garden ossuary and a crematorium, according to company filings.

“SCI believes that having a full-service funeral home on-site will allow families to make funeral arrangements, memorial services and graveside services in one location,” the company told city officials.

The local Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens office and the Houston SCI office did not respond to requests for information.