Roger Williams Park Mausoleum: About the Abandoned Crypts in Cranston

A man’s Tik Tok video showing an abandoned mausoleum in Rhode Island that was in extreme disrepair caused outrage and concern from viewers. The crumbling Cranston mausoleum had been damaged by trespassers – some who even removed caskets from the crypts. There’s also evidence human remains had been stolen.

History of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Consider the following story about the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – a structure so magnificent that it altered the English language.

In the Eye of the Beholder: Qualities of a Beautiful Mausoleum

If you wish to build a beautiful mausoleum – or a private burial chamber – for your family, begin the design process by viewing images of the most famous mausoleums in the world for inspiration. 

Here’s what we can learn by studying the mausoleums and other beautiful buildings of the ancient world.

Stanford Mausoleum: A Memento Mori Comes To Life

In the spring of 1884, railroad magnet Leland Stanford and his wife Jane lost their son Leland Jr. to typhoid. The grieving parents decided to found a university in Leland Jr.’s memory. Using the land intended for their country estate’s home and garden, the Stanfords built a university for the future of others’ children. A Mausoleum to inter the remains of young Leland Stanford, Jr. and his parents was included in the grounds design.

The campus’s Mission Revival buildings were designed by the Boston based architect, Charles Allerton Coolidge. New York’s Central Park creator, Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned as the landscape architect for the coeducational campus. Originally meant to be the cynosure of the university’s layout, the Stanford mausoleum was finally erected in the northwest of the campus, surrounded by the arboretum and Arizona Cactus Garden. At the behest of Mrs. Stanford, two Greek sphinxes were erected to guard the entrance of the mausoleum. However, the bare breasted female figures were deemed inappropriate and moved to the back of the building. They were replaced by two male, Egyptian-style sphinxes.