Situated on the eastern edge of the city, Burlington Cemetery is one of three cemeteries in the city. The cemetery is one of the area's earliest graveyards and originally totaled less than 5 acres. Presently, just over half of the cemetery's 25.2 acres has been platted as burial plots with lawn, shade trees and other plantings, and a system of curvilinear paved driveways.

The Burlington Cemetery Chapel is located at the far south end of the cemetery. Driveways, burial plots, mown lawns, and groups of shade trees surround the building. The Burlington Cemetery Association constructed the building to provide shelter for funeral services held at the cemetery grounds.

One of only two cemetery chapels in the city, the Burlington Cemetery Chapel is a late and unique small-scale example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The chapel's Richardsonian Romanesque elements are its solid volume and simple form, its weighty mass and rough-faced masonry construction, and its use of the round arch and gabled parapets. The influence of the Gothic Revival style is also evident in its buttress-like pilasters and the use of the Tudor arch.

The exterior of the building may be viewed from the cemetery grounds. The interior is closed to the public.