This grand Corinthian mausoleum, a sort of squashed triumphal arch, is impressive from the front. The back once held a large window, probably equally impressive; but it has now been filled in with unimpressive bricks.
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French Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery
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Baum-Roup Monument, Allegheny Cemetery
One has the impression that there is a sort of obelisk underneath here, but it has become encrusted with ornamentation, like a saint’s relic from the Middle Ages. It certainly serves its purpose of leaving a distinctive mark on the cemetery skyline to guide Baums and Roups to their ancestors’ graves. The Baums and Roups intersected in life by marriage, and the streets named after them intersect in Friendship.
There is an absolutely identical shaft in the Chartiers Cemetery for the Gormley family. Was this some monument-dealer’s most extravagant standard-order item?
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Obelisks, West View Cemetery
We frequently find whole sections of cemeteries prickly with obelisks, as here in the West View Cemetery, where they add considerably to the picturesqueness of the landscape.
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Lewin Mausoleum, West View Cemetery
A monument dealer’s standard-model mausoleum with an elegant Star-of-David window inside.
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Robert Pitcairn Mausoleum, Homewood Cemetery
Robert Pitcairn, for whom the borough of Pitcairn is named, was head of the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It sounds like a mid-level management position, but in fact it was more like a viceroyalty. This elegant Corinthian temple demonstrates how wealthy such a position could make a man.
This particular picture has been donated to Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, so no permission is needed to use it for any purpose whatsoever.
