Bache Mausoleum

Jules Bache
November 9, 1861 – March 24, 1944

German born Jules Semon Bache rests among the many robber barons, financiers, and millionaires he lived with. Bache made his living as a banker and stockbroker In 1886 he became a minority partner in the stockbrokerage firm of Leopold Cahn & Co., then, when he took over full control of the company in 1892, renamed it J. S. Bache & Co. Through crafty investing and financial acumen he became enormously wealthy. And, to his credit he gave away much of his fortune to support the arts and charitable causes. He was a long time collector and patron of the arts and donated a number of Raphaels Rembrandts, Titians and others to the Detroit Institute of the Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1981 Bache & Co. was acquired by Prudential Financial, Inc. for $385 million, and is now known as Prudential Bache.

His tomb reflects his interest in the arts. He chose as his mausoleum, a replica of the elegant Kiosk of Trajan or “pharaoh’s bed” at the temple of Isis on the island of Philae on the Nile River. Bache’s Kiosk of Trajan was designed by Davis, McGrath & Kiessling in 1916 and fabricated of Barre granite by Farrington Gould & Hoagland The hallmarks of the Bache mausoleum are the 14 massive columns which are capped with abstractions of lotus blossoms (signifying the unfolding creative universe) and the open roof design. A winged solar disk which is associated with divinity and royalty is carved above the lintel. The winged sun is also symbolic of the soul. When placed above doors it served as a reminder to visitors of the eternal nature of their soul. The landscaped lot was designed by Charles Wellford Leavitt in 1918. Leavitt’s original design was quite Spartan and meant to reflect the aridity of the Egyptian climate. The Bache mausoleum and its grounds were featured in a 1917 article in Architectural Review magazine on mausoleum architecture, and in a 1921 article titled “Planting the Mausoleum Plot” in Park and Cemetery, magazine. It also appeared in the “Portfolio of Current Architecture” in the May 1920 issue of Architectural Record, and on covers of Park and Cemetery magazine in April, May, June and July 1932.
Text and photograph © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page

[address cemetery=”The Woodlawn Cemetery” street=”East 233rd Street” city=”Bronx” state=”New York” zip=”10470″]