I Love Cemeteries
Admitting my love for cemeteries in such a public forum might seem weird. But, I'm
coming out-of-the-closet and declaring to the world that I spend, have spent, and will continue to spend time in cemeteries.
Some of my faves are the oldest in America all along the eastern seaboard, but Chicago
claims three on my list of top 10 burial grounds, and they are Graceland, Rosehill and Oakwoods. What I find especially appealing about Graceland is the social history of the cemetery's inhabitants, and how the rich and powerful had tombs designed for themselves that declared their economic status in death, as in life.
While many movers and shakers seemed to believe that columns with ornate capitals
were the best expression of their worth, not all chose to sheath their final resting place in the classical orders of antiquity, but chose instead to go the route of the ancient sarcophagus, and ordered up a rolled arm with draped garland as a side.
Not everyone fell for the "antiquity is best, for your final rest" theory. Although this
monumental marker may look out-of-date today, it was actually quite modern for its time. The deceased departed this world in 1897, and rather than looking back thousands of years for inspiration, this large, marble and limestone memorial has Victorian architectural details and the popular, romanticized, heroic sculptural forms of the era.
Of course no cemetery would be complete without a few angels in the midst. Here
the warm smile of this angelic face has been used to decorate a tomb with Gothic aspirations. An architectural epoch which seems to work well in this setting.
Of course nothing lasts forever, even in marble. So, although millionaires may have spent
millions insuring that their final home would be the one to last the ages, all things must come to an end. Even if you were a Pharaoh of Egypt, where the hot desert wind and blowing sand will eventually turn the blocks at Giza to dust, much like the Chicago weather is doing to this block of stone.
In upcoming posts, we'll visit the individual gravesites of some of Chicago's wealthiest
citizens, famous architects, titans of industry and commerce, as well as just everyday folk, who have very creative marble and stone memorials that serve as testaments to lives once lived.
Posted by designslinger at 8/10/2009 2:28 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Ephemera, Decorative Arts
Tags: Chicago Graceland Cemetery
Categories: Architecture, Ephemera, Decorative Arts
Tags: Chicago Graceland Cemetery
This looks like a GREAT upcoming series. I'll be looking forward to future posts.
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