A classic Doric mausoleum, as correct as it can be. The hillside site gives it an opportunity for a stairway approach, which always adds to the impressiveness of a classical mausoleum.
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Shields Mausoleum, Edgeworth
On a back street in Edgeworth, right next to the Shields Chapel, sits what looks like a Gothic church; but it is actually the mausoleum of the Shields family, one of the largest Gothic mausoleums in the Pittsburgh area. It has room for thirty-six interments, and it is big enough that the Grace Anglican congregation used it for services until the Shields Chapel became available. It is very rare in the Pittsburgh area for a family to build a mausoleum on its own property, but apparently no mere cemetery was good enough for the Shields family.
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Joseph W. Craig Mausoleum, Sewickley Cemetery
An unusual classical design from 1899 that depends on textures for its effect: the rusticated but very regular stone contrasts pleasingly with the green tile of the roof and the smooth-cut doorway. The green color of the tile almost perfectly matches the verdigris of the bronze doors; one wonders whether that effect was intended or a happy accident.
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Soffel Mausoleum, Mount Lebanon Cemetery
A rustic mausoleum with smooth Doric columns; doubtless a dealer’s standard model, but attractive and dignified.
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Berryman Mausoleum, Homewood Cemetery
This mausoleum seems to have received its first burial in 1927; if Father Pitt were to take a guess, he might say it had been waiting around empty for some time before that. There are none of the quirks of the advancing twentieth century: this is a timeless Doric temple, simple but correct. The stained glass inside is modestly attractive, though the cross is a bit out of place—it does not seem to be a thing that could naturally exist in the landscape. Old Pa Pitt is also not sure why there is a cheese hovering above it. The bronze palms on the doors are also notable.
