Kaercher Mausoleum
It won’t be long until this little Classical Revival mausoleum c. 1860, is completely engulfed by foliage. The mausoleum was built for John Kaercher, one of the owners of the tanning firm C. Kaercher & Sons. A number of members of the Kaercher family are entombed here, but in the 1980’s ol’ Doc Kaercher informed the cemetery board, “I’m the last of the line. After I’ve passed on, seal it up.”
And so they did.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Allegheny Cemetery” street=”4715 Penn Avenue” city=”Pittsburgh” state=”Pennsylvania” zip=”15224″]
Stejskal-Buchal Mausoleum
The hooded figure inching toward the Classical Revival Stejskal-Buchal mausoleum in Chicago’s Bohemian National Cemetery, may look like the grim reaper but is actually the “Pilgrim”, a bronze statue sculpted in 1929 by the great Czech sculptor, Albin Polacek (1879-1965).
Not all of Polacek’s creations are gloomy. In fact another of his works in the Bohemian National Cemetery is a partially clad Adonis-like figure, whose extended hand reaches for a mausoleum’s ringed door handle.
Mr. Stejskal (pronounced “Stay-Skal”), a Czech-American, who will spend eternity waiting for the Pilgrim to arrive at his door, was a founder of the Novak & Stejskal Bank at the corner of Loomis and Blue Avenues in Chicago.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Bohemian National Cemetery” street=”5255 North Pulaski Road” city=”Chicago” state=”Illinois” zip=”60630″]
Stachura Mausoleum
The Stachura mausoleum, built in 1988, is a modern interpretation of a Greek temple, including a favorite modernist motif: the starburst. Chester and Gloria Stachura designed the bronze bas relief on the door and had it cast by Rispoli Bronze of Long Island, New York. But the real story here is not about architecture. It is about love and remembrance.
The plaque above the entry is a representation of two wedding rings with the names Chester and Gloria and their wedding date, July 14th, 1956. Most mausoleums are inscribed with either the date of construction or the birth and death dates of its occupants, but the wedding date on the Stachura mausoleum is unique.
After Gloria died in 1989 Chester would spend long hours outside the mausoleum mourning his dear wife. Then one day, perhaps fatigued by many hours of standing, Chester decided to have their living room furniture replicated in granite, so he could sit in front of their mausoleum in comfort and remember times with Gloria in their home. He went to the cemetery board and after some debate they granted his request. After all, the board members finally agreed, one of the principles of Forest Lawn Cemetery was to make the cemetery accessible and comfortable for the living. On many days, visitors to Forest Lawn Cemetery will see Chester sitting on the love seat thinking of Gloria.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Forest Lawn Cemetery” street=”1411 Delaware Avenue” city=”Buffalo” state=”New York” zip=”14209″]
Tso Mausoleum
Two marble dog-lions, or Shih Tzu of Fo, guard the Buddhist mausoleum of Paul Yung Tso. These mythological animals, special guardians of Lord Buddha, teach patience and the subjugation of the ego and its passions. The male, seen here with a ball under its paw, is always located on the east. The ball is hollow, a symbol of the “emptiness” of the mind in Buddhist spiritual beliefs. The female dog-lion, seated out of view and on the west, has a baby under her paw. These paired creatures also represent the opposing forces of Yin (female) and Yang (male).
The dog-lions, the other statuary flanking the mausoleum and the positioning of all the elements are part of the Feng Shui of the site. Feng Shui is an art based on the belief that a harmonious relationship between our environment and nature’s forces affects our disposition and luck.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Cypress Lawn Memorial Park” street=”1370 El Camino Real” city=”Colma” state=”California” zip=”94014″]
Splane Mausoleum
The Splane mausoleum, built in 1952, for William W. Splane, a manufacturer of railroad cars, is a splendid example of the Modern Classicism aesthetic. Hallmarks of Modern Classicism, as seen in the Splane mausoleum, are the absence of surface ornament and clean restrained lines. The pair of engaged columns are the only suggestion of classical form. A realistically sculpted floral panel crowns the entry, while a frieze of debossed panels, in an astronomical motif, circles the tomb.
The placement of the mausoleum’s roof was an engineering marvel. The design, using a single slab of granite for the roof, did not allow for the use of ropes or hooks during placement on the mausoleum. The placement dilemma was solved by resting the slab on blocks of ice. When the ice slowly melted, the slab nestled into place.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Allegheny Cemetery” street=”4715 Penn Avenue” city=”Pittsburgh” state=”Pennsylvania” zip=”15224″]
Bindley Mausoleum
The Bindley mausoleum, built in 1907, is a replica interpretation of the Pantheon. The original Pantheon, built in Rome c. 118-128 AD during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian heralded a new era in Western architecture where spatial volumes became more important than physical structure. The Pantheon and the Bindley mausoleum are a domed round drum fronted by traditional temple portico and pediment.
The proportions of the Pantheon (the one in Rome, not the Bindley) were carefully calculated so that if the curve of the inside of the dome were extended downward, it would “kiss” the floor, creating a perfect sphere within the volume of the building. This was a symbolic reference to the temple’s dedication to all (“pan”) the gods (“theos”).
The Bindley’s Pantheon, with its softly rusticated granite block walls, Corinthian columns and sky-lighted dome is a study in subtle elegance. The Bindleys were financiers and owned a number of businesses. John Bindley was one of the original corporators of Allegheny Cemetery.
Text and Photos © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Allegheny Cemetery” street=”4715 Penn Avenue” city=”Pittsburgh” state=”Pennsylvania” zip=”15224″]
Manger Mausoleum
Julius Manger
1868–March 28th, 1937
Julius Manger was born in Boonville, Missouri. He and his brother William became involved with building construction in Galveston and later located the hub of their activities in New York City. Their entry into the New York real estate market was the construction of more than 500 homes in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. Expanding their business to larger-scale buildings, they erected the Builders Exchange Building on West 33rd Street in Manhattan. In 1907, the Mangers traded the Builders Exchange for the Plaza Hotel in Chicago, which was the beginning of their extremely successful chain of hotels. When William died in 1928, the Manger hotel properties were valued at $22,000,000, a tidy sum for the time.
Julius Manger continued buying hotels, and at the time of his death, the list included the Plaza in Chicago; the Manger Hotel in Boston; the Endicott, Martha Washington, Grand, Windsor, and Imperial Hotels in New York City; and the Annapolis Hotel, Hamilton Hotel, and Hay-Adams House in Washington, D.C.
Architect/designer Franklin Naylor built the mausoleum in 1927 for Dominico Dumbra, but it was purchased by Julius Manger in 1935. The Manger Mausoleum was one of the last hurrahs of the Golden Age of the Mausoleum, which ran from around the end of the Civil War to the Great Depression. Fittingly, it is one of the most elegantly crafted mausoleums in the United States.
Naylor was so proud of his creation that he published a pamphlet detailing its construction. The Manger Mausoleum was Naylor’s largest and most complex design in his 35 years as a memorial architect, and he called the finished mausoleum “one of the largest private mausoleums in the world and the largest in America.” His design goes under the broad heading of Beaux-Arts architecture with a nod to Renaissance Revival forms.
The design of the base of the mausoleum is a double equilateral triangle, the intersection of the two triangles forming a hexagon. These two triangles form the Star of David, also known as the Seal of Solomon, and contained within its boundaries are representations of the four elements: fire, air, water, and earth. The hexagonal base is ringed with six sets of paired Corinthian columns.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”The Woodlawn Cemetery” street=”East 233rd Street” city=”Bronx” state=”New York” zip=”10470″]
Mason Mausoleum
Thomas F. Mason
1815–1899
Thomas F. Mason’s tidy little Classical Revival mausoleum is a showcase for bas-relief panels. There is a cartouche in the gable above the door. Smooth masonry on the front of the mausoleum is contrasted by rusticated masonry on the sides. Two bas-relief bronze panels, sculpted by Oscar Lenz in 1899, flank the entrance. The panels are surrounded by egg-and-dart molding. The double doors are embellished with Victorian-era geometric floral designs. The panel on the left shows an angel taking the inventory of Thomas Mason’s life (which appears to have been in the insurance business) and is inscribed with the Latin words Ab Initio, Ad Finem (“from beginning to end”). The panel on the right depicts an angel with a horn, presumably Gabriel, awaiting the results of the inventory. The panel is inscribed with the Latin phrase Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (“thus passes away the glory of the world”). The phrase is from the “Service of the Pope’s Enthronement.” At the moment it is uttered, a handful of flax is burned to indicate the transient nature of earthly grandeur. A similar rite is said to have been used in the triumphal processions of the Roman Republic. In other words, “you can’t take it with you.”
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”The Woodlawn Cemetery” street=”East 233rd Street” city=”Bronx” state=”New York” zip=”10470″]
Bastian Mausoleum
It is quite unusual to see a woman’s name prominently carved on a mausoleum. After all, during the age of robber barons and millionaires, when most of the grand mausolea were constructed, a woman’s place was in the home, certainly not making a name for herself, unless, of course it was with her husband’s approval. So, who was Elisabeth Bastian? Little is known about her except she died on February the 11th, 1909 and her mausoleum was built in 1915. Elisabeth’s final resting place, which is a blend of revival styles, has polished Corinthian columns and displays an interesting interplay between smooth and rusticated stone.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”The Woodlawn Cemetery” street=”East 233rd Street” city=”Bronx” state=”New York” zip=”10470″]
Porter Mausoleum
William H. Porter
January 8, 1861–November 30, 1926
William Henry Porter’s life seems like a classic Horatio Alger story. He was born in Middlebury, Vermont, to parents who were struggling farmers. In 1876, when he was 15, the family faced financial ruin and was forced to sell their bucolic farm in Middlebury. The family then moved to Saratoga Springs, New York, where William attended high school. Unfortunately, his parents’ financial woes meant that he would need to drop out of high school and find a job. He found work at a local inn. Then, while waiting tables in 1878, a wealthy banker who was staying there noticed his work ethic and admired his intelligence. The banker offered him a job at his bank in New York City.
Young William Henry Porter quickly rose through the ranks and proved to be a banking “systematizing genius.” In 1903, he became the President of the Chemical National Bank and, in the same year, became one of the founders and directors of the Bankers Trust Company of New York. In 1911, he became a partner of J. P. Morgan and Company. William H. Porter used part of his fortune to found the Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, Vermont.
The Porter Mausoleum is sited on a circular lot. It was designed in 1927 by architects Trowbridge & Livingston and was fabricated of white Vermont marble in the same year by Marc Edlitz & Son. The circular mausoleum features a series of engaged fluted Tuscan columns that ring the perimeter. The columns support an entablature with toothsome dentil molding and an elaborate cornice. The cornice includes a series of acroterium connected with intricately carved, fence-like, arabesque-patterned marble panels. The stepped stone roof features an urn-like finial. The Porter Mausoleum was featured in an August 1928 advertisement for the Vermont Marble Company in Park and Cemetery magazine. Also reposing inside the mausoleum is William H. Porter ‘s wife, Esther J. Porter.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”The Woodlawn Cemetery” street=”East 233rd Street” city=”Bronx” state=”New York” zip=”10470″]