What began in 1899 as a standard rusticated temple in the “modern Ionic” style was expanded in 1973 by the very unusual addition of left and right wings, where the crypts are accessible directly from the outside. The bronze doors have grilles with a striking passionflower pattern. According to the cemetery’s Web site, Mr. Robert Davidson King made his fortune in county government, which was a profitable business in those days.
The top has broken off this ornate Gothic monument, and the fallen cap is just leaning against the base right now. The statue inside is also headless. John and Margaret Schoenberger were neighbors of the Allegheny Cemetery, and after Margaret died John sold their estate to become part of the cemetery grounds. This monument probably dates from Margaret’s death in 1876.
Alfred E. Hunt was a pioneer in the aluminum business; he founded the company that became Alcoa and made aluminum a useful commodity rather than a laboratory curiosity. Oddly, although Hunt died in 1899, his mausoleum was not built until 1930. Father Pitt does not know the reason for the long delay. Inside this simple Ionic structure is a beautiful patterned stained-glass window.
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A curious combination of the Egyptian and the Romanesque. The doorway and sloping sides suggest the Egyptian style; the botanical ornaments and rusticated stone suggest Romanesque. Inside is a stained-glass window with symbols of Christian victory.
According to the cemetery’s Web site, this building was put up in 1905-1906 from a design by “P. C. Reniers’ Sons,” which largely duplicated the design of the old receiving vault by John Chislett, the original architect of the cemetery (his Butler Street entrance gate still stands). An addition of the 1960s destroys the symmetry, but fortunately the cemetery is encouraging a thick tree to grow in front of it.
