Tag: Classical Architecture

  • Taylor-Langfitt Mausoleum, Highwood Cemetery

    Father Pitt does not know the date of this mausoleum, but the style and the dates of other burials in the same area suggest the 1890s. It is a small thing compared to some of the magnificent mausoleums in the Union Dale Cemetery nearby, but it is in very good taste: the classical style is rich without ostentation, the bronze doors are well matched to the style of the whole, and the Boston ivy adds a romantically picturesque touch.

  • Rook Column, Allegheny Cemetery

    An elaborate Corinthian column erected in 1881 for Alexander Rook, an editor of the late lamented Dispatch. The recording angel is a particularly good one, and figures of hope and faith flank the column.

  • Scaife Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

    The Scaifes are intertwined with the Mellons, making them very rich. This mausoleum was built for them in 1914, and it is still in use: billionaire news mogul Richard Mellon Scaife, who patterned his life after the movie Citizen Kane, is its most recent resident, having been laid to rest here in 2014.

    The stained-glass angel inside is very good; Father Pitt regrets that he does not know the artist.

  • Charles F. Schwab Mausoleum, Mount Royal Cemetery

    This particular Charles F. Schwab died in 1928, according to the inscription on his vault; Hendershaws were added later, and their name inscribed in the blank space on the lintel. This is a simple rustic mausoleum with a Doric front. Its best feature, unfortunately badly damaged, is a stained-glass window of a woman feeding a swan.

  • Kerr Column, Allegheny Cemetery

    This curious column combines classical and Gothic ideas to create something not quite like any of the other dozens of columns in the cemetery. It remembers Andrew Lennox Kerr (1789-1839) and Jane Kerr (1785-1880). From the style of the column, and the fact that the inscriptions for Andrew and Jane seem to have been cut at the same time, we can guess that the column was put up after Jane Kerr died in 1880.