Obelisks
Much of Laurel Hill Cemetery is a veritable pincushion of obelisks. To break up the monotony, some of the obelisks are draped while others have been cut off and sprout urns and statues. Further adding to the vertical competition at Laurel Hill is a host of columns with a variety of objects perched on their lofty spires.
Obelisks, which are representative of a ray of sunlight, were first seen in Egypt during the time of the Old Kingdom. The earliest excavation of an obelisk, dated at the 25th century BC is at Abu Ghurob. It was a massive, fairly squat, pyramidal structure set upon a high plinth and was the focal point of the sun temple. During the time of the Middle Kingdom, obelisks made of single slabs of Aswan granite became much taller and slimmer. They were typically erected in pairs in front of selected temples as part of a celebration of a Royal Jubilee. The sides of the obelisk were often inscribed and the pyramidal top was sheathed in gold to radiate the light of the sun.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Laurel Hill Cemetery” street=”3822 Ridge Avenue” city=”Philadelphia” state=”Pennsylvania” zip=”19132″]
Van Ness Parsons Mausoleum
American cemeteries often have a schizophrenic attitude towards Egyptian architecture. While almost all Egyptian architecture has something to do with death and the afterlife, thus making it a perfect fit for the cemetery, it’s pagan origin often raises the hackles of the religious community. Memorial designers often soften the pagan profile of Egyptian forms by adding Christian figures and symbols. The Van Ness Parsons mausoleum is a perfect example of this hybridization. Over the entrance to the mausoleum are vulture wings, a Egyptian symbol for maternal care, but that is softened by statues of an adoring sphinx gazing upon Jochebed holding her son Moses, while another statue portrays Jesus holding a lamb symbolizing innocence. Jesus is known as the Lamb of God. In the distance is another maternal figure that may be a representation of Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moses in the bulrushes, in Egypt.
The most noted occupant of the mausoleum is Albert Ross Parsons (1847-1933), a noted pianist and head of the piano department at the Metropolitan Conservatory of Music. More apropos to the mausoleum, Parsons was also an Egyptologist who wrote the book, New Light From the Great Pyramid: An astronomico-geographical system of the ancients recovered etc. in 1893. Also sharing space in the pyramid is Parsons’ wife Alice Schuyler Van Ness who died in 1931.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Green-Wood Cemetery” street=”Willow Avenue” city=”Brooklyn” state=”New York” zip=”11218″]
Winter Mausoleum
The Winter mausoleum, built in 1930, appears to be an exact duplicate of the Woolworth mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, that was built in 1920. Architect John Russell Pope designed the Woolworth mausoleum. Judging from the similarity between the two mausolea, Pope appears to have been involved with or at least consulted on the Winter mausoleum. With their clean lines and more stylized ornaments, both mausolea are a departure from older forms of Egyptian Revival architecture. The quite buxom sphinxes are derived from Greek architecture, where sphinxes were always female, but other details, such as the vulture wings, cobras and sun are all taken from ancient Egyptian architecture.
The bronze door of the Winter mausoleum is a treasure trove of Egyptian symbols. The most widely known symbol is the “ankh” being held by both male figures. The ankh is a symbol of immortality, often depicted being carried by the Gods. The ankh combines two Egyptian symbols, the T cross, or tau, (the symbol of Osiris) and the oval, (the symbol of Isis). At the top of the door are twin vultures, symbols of maternal care.
Emil Winter (1857-1935), was president of the Workingmen’s Savings Bank and Trust Company in Pittsburgh and was head of a number of metal production companies. He had a large overseas plant in Austria, for processing manganese ore. He was one the founders of the Pittsburgh Steel Company.
As grand as his mausoleum is, it is overshadowed by “Lyndhurst” his opulent home in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh.
Text and photos © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Allegheny Cemetery” street=”4715 Penn Avenue” city=”Pittsburgh” state=”Pennsylvania” zip=”15224″]
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″]
Cogswell Monument
The Cogswell monument is a 70-foot granite obelisk crowned with a ten inch rose crystal star and surrounded by a number of curious carved stone sculptures. It is sited so that it is visible from much of the hilly cemetery. The pieces comprising the monument were carved on the East coast, and then loaded on 38 freight cars for their shipment to California. Historical records state that the 329-ton shipment was the “heaviest shipment ever made at one time across the country”.
After arriving at the terminus of the railroad in Oakland, the 30-ton obelisk was placed on a special wagon shipped from the east. Try as they might, the 24 horses couldn’t get the wagon to budge. Eventually, a combination of house moving equipment and a traction engine inched the obelisk up Cemetery Avenue and to the Cogswell plot. After all the pieces arrived at the site, crews of workmen took to the task of assembling the monument. In August of 1887, viewing the progress of the erection of the Cogswell Monument became a popular outing for many of Oakland’s residents.
Henry Daniel Cogswell (1820-1900) studied and practiced dentistry in Providence, Rhode Island, until his office was destroyed in a fire. Then, in 1849, like so many young men of the time he set sail for California. He sold goods in California’s Mother Lode mining region, but soon returned to San Francisco to set up his dental practice. In 1851, just a few months before his wife arrived from the East, his dental office fell victim to one of one of San Francisco’s many fires.
Cogswell eventually found his fortune as a land speculator; founded Cogswell Dental College, Cogswell Polytechnic Institute and gave considerable funds to the University of California. Cogswell was an ardent foe of demon rum and to that task he erected a number of water fountains in cities across the United States. These water fountains featured a bronze statue of a man that looked amazingly like Cogswell with a temperance pledge in one hand and a water goblet in the other.
Visitors to the Cogswell Monument in Mountain View Cemetery may wish to note the four figures flanking the obelisk: Faith, Hope, Charity and Temperance (she’s the one with the water goblet in her hand).
Photos and text © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Mountain View Cemetery” street=”” city=”Oakland” state=”California” zip=”94611″]
Ryerson Mausoleum
In 1887, when architect Louis Sullivan was 31 years old he designed the polished, black granite Ryerson mausoleum. Sullivan’s creation is an artful blending of two Egyptian burial monuments; a pyramid, which crowns the top of the mausoleum and a mastaba, a forerunner of the pyramid, which forms the bottom section.
During the 1880’s Sullivan’s firm, Adler and Sullivan built four office buildings for Martin Ryerson. When he died, his son, Martin A. Ryerson, commissioned Sullivan to design this mausoleum.
Martin Ryerson (1818-1887) left the security of his New Jersey home and got as far as the wilds of Michigan where he became a fur trader, then a general store clerk and finally a sawmill owner. Around 1850 Ryerson opened an office in Chicago for his booming lumber business. Over the next 20 years Chicago became the distribution center for the lumber trade. Ryerson became a wealthy man, first in the lumber business, then by investing in real estate and office buildings.
Photos and text © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Graceland Cemetery” street=”4001 North Clark Street” city=”Chicago” state=”Illinois” zip=”60613″]
Brunswig Mausoleum
Lucien Napoleon Brunswig (1854 – 1943) was a French emigre who spent his first years in the United States in Fort Worth, Texas working as a druggist. He combined his knowledge of pharmaceuticals with business acumen to create an empire that ensured financial rewards for himself and his successors.
- Early Experiences in the United States
- Philanthropy and Continued Success
- Coming Home: Lucien Napoleon Brunswig’s New Orleans Legacy
- Metairie Cemetery: Jewel of the Crescent City
Early Experiences in the United States
Lucien Brunswig arrived in Fort Worth, Texas from Monmedy, France in the late 1870s. After having established himself as a druggist in North Texas, Brunswig relocated to the Franco-friendly metropolis of New Orleans where he met and married Annie Mercer. The marriage produced a son, Lucien Mercer Brunswig, and daughter, Annie. While in New Orleans, Brunswig began to spread his business wings when he founded a pharmaceutical distributing company.
Lucien Mercer Brunswig died tragically just before his 10th birthday. Only one month later, Mrs. Annie Mercer Brunswig also died. Some years after both of these losses, Brunswig left New Orleans for Los Angeles, California. While in L.A., Brunswig became a partner in a local drug company. Brunswig also remarried while in Southern California. Ironically, Marguerite Wogan was a widow who had also previously lived in the New Orleans area.
Philanthropy and Continued Success
As his company continued to grow, Brunswig set his sights on returning the fruits of his success to the community. The School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California was constructed thanks entirely to an endowment made by Brunswig to the school. Brunswig also selected smaller local endeavors to support as he continued to enjoy business success. In 1907, Brunswig bought his partner out and renamed the business to the Brunswig Drug Company. He also expanded into San Diego, Tucson, and Phoenix. At one point, and for a long period, Brunswig’s company was the city of Los Angeles’ largest wholesale drug supplier.
During World War I, the 63 year old Brunswig traveled back to France for eight months. As a representative of the ‘Friends of France’, Brunswig crafted essays detailing the effects of the war on his native France, including the scarring damage of battle, and efforts of reconstruction. Additionally, Brunswig wrote articles that highlighted prominent individuals and organizations.
Once back in Los Angeles, Brunswig continued his outreach efforts by founding the Cercle Catholique Francais, a volunteer organization aimed at providing assistance to recently arrived French immigrants. These type of fraternal organizations were very popular among immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Despite mergers and name changes, the company founded by Brunswig is still in existence today. Upon his death, the company joined the Bergen Drug Company to become Bergen-Brunswig. In 2001, Bergen-Brunswig merged with AmeriSource Health Corporation and changed its name to AmerisourceBergen.
Coming Home: Lucien Napoleon Brunswig’s New Orleans Legacy
The Brunswig Mausoleum is in the famed Metairie Cemetery, which is located near New Orleans’ Garden District. Borrowing architectural design influences that date back to the time of the pharaohs, the Brunswig Mausoleum is a pyramidal structure similar to the Cimitero Monumentale in Milan, Italy. As Douglas Keister notes, “These pyramids are usually found with smooth granite sides, a sphinx and some sort of human figure.” The human figure at the Brunswig Mausoleum is a woman carrying a libation urn.
Because the sphinx is regarded as pagan architecture, most designers felt compelled to include a Christian symbol. However, it appears the Brunswig Mausoleum defies that custom, maintaining an ancient Egyptian style throughout.
Interred with Lucien Napoleon Brunswig are his first wife, Annie, their daughter Annie Brunswig Wellborn and her husband, and Henrietta Rosalie Brunswig, who is believed to be the first born daughter from Lucien’s second marriage.
Metairie Cemetery: Jewel of the Crescent City
The Metairie Cemetery is named for the road on which it is located and the Bayou Metairie. Visitors might think the cemetery is located in the nearby suburb of the same name, but it is actually located within New Orleans city limits. The city’s elevation just below sea level has required above-ground interment of deceased residents for generations. Throngs of visitors to New Orleans tour the city’s cemeteries and mausoleums because they are so unique.
Metairie Cemetery is widely regarded as having the largest collection of elaborate marble tombs and funeral statuary in the city. Several notable New Orleanians are interred at Metairie Cemetery. Among them are:
- Ruth Fertel, the founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak House
- Jim Garrison, former D.A. of New Orleans and subject of the Oliver Stone film JFK
- Mel Ott, Hall of Fame major league baseball player
- Louis Prima, legendary band leader
Like many individuals of this time, Lucien Napoleon Brunswig was a self-made man who sought and achieved a level of success experienced by a select few. Brunswig also shared his wealth with community by distributing his fortune among groups and organizations with which he felt a kinship. The gifts, endowments, and grants are as much a lasting legacy as the impressive Brunswig Mausoleum in which he is interred.
Photos and text © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”Metairie Cemetery” street=”5101 Pontchartrain Boulevard” city=”New Orleans” state=”Louisiana” zip=”70124″]
Woolworth Mausoleum
F.W. Woolworth
April 13, 1852 – April 8, 1919
Franklin Winfield Woolworth developed a sales formula based on attractive displays and reasonable fixed prices. He cunningly realized that pricing articles for sale in increments of 5 cents and 10 cents, which were the most commonly used coins at the time, encouraged sales. Woolworth found that these business practices encouraged impulse buying and generated increased sales and revenues. By the time of his death, there were over 1000 of his “five and dime stores”. F.W. took his own frugality a little too far: he died of septic poisoning because he didn’t want to pay to see a dentist. Also entombed in the mausoleum is the much-married and terribly unhappy Barbara Hutton (1912-1979) known as the “Poor Little Rich Girl,” who was the granddaughter of F. W. Woolworth and heir to his multimillion dollar estate.
The Barre granite mausoleum was built by Farrington, Gould and Hoagland in 1921. The mausoleum is constructed in the Egyptian Revival style with two Greek sphinxes (Egyptian sphinxes are male) flanking the entrance steps. Two columns with horizontal banding and palm capitals frame the recessed entrance. The exterior walls are slanted in at about 70 degrees since Egyptian architecture relies on massive stone and angles rather than arches to create strength. to create Both the entablature and the lintel above the entrance feature relief carvings of a winged solar disc, an icon that Egyptians believe offered protection to the dead. The mausoleum has a cavetto cornice (curved with arch) and roll molding at its corners and where the façade meets the entablature. The bronze door was designed by sculptor Julius C. Loester and cast by the Roman Bronze Company The interior was renovated by the family in 1941, with Italian marble and large double marble sarcophagus by Evans of Boston. The landscape design by Brinley and Holbrook, who executed plans for the New York Botanic Garden in 1920, “employed a formal scheme to accentuate the solidity and scale of the building, while successfully screening a vista spotted with many imposing mausoleums.”
Photos and text © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page
[address cemetery=”The Woodlawn Cemetery” street=”East 233rd Street” city=”Bronx” state=”New York” zip=”10470″]