DuPont Funeral Home
DuPont Funeral Home is located in the historic Federal Hill District of Bristol. A Bristol Landmark since 1903, this elegant Georgian Revival style home was originally built for Bristol industrialist Albert L. Sessions and his wife Leila Beach Sessions. The ornate exterior with its many layers of trim caused it to be called the “Wedding Cake House” by local residents.
The home features nine operational fireplaces, beautiful oak and mahogany woodwork throughout the building and a large central staircase leading to the upstairs. After the death of Mr. Sessions, the home continued to be a part of the Bristol social scene as The Town Club. As a club, the building was host to many social events including weddings and parties. In 1960, the club was converted to a funeral parlor by Pretzman G. Young, Sr. He operated it until his death in 1978. His widow continued to operate the funeral home until July 1980 when the funeral home was purchased by the DuPont Family.
The present owners Robert D. and Diane Bonaldo DuPont continue to reside upstairs in the funeral home. The DuPont family has made significant improvements to the funeral home including remodeling projects to the interior and exterior of this historically valuable residence. In 1990 an addition was added to the rear of the building creating a large parlor for funerals. The exterior of the addition was carefully duplicated to match the existing historical structure so as to not take away from its historical character. In 1996 the funeral home name was changed to DuPont Funeral Home to reflect the changes made by the DuPonts.
