Pittsburgh Cemeteries

Tag: Mausoleums

  • Davis Mausoleum, Homewood Cemetery

    One is tempted to describe this peculiar construction as “Doric Romanesque.” The rusticated stone and ponderous style cry out for Romanesque details, but instead we get smooth Doric columns and a smooth arch that seems to belong to another structure altogether. In fact, Father Pitt, who seldom passes a negative judgment on anyone’s mausoleum, is compelled by sheer honesty to say that he does not regard this design as a success. It is a cacophony rather than a harmony of disparate ideas. The bronze doors, however, are splendid, and no one can take that away from them.

  • Bindley Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

    A scale model of the Pantheon in Rome, the Bindley mausoleum suggests that Mr. Bindley must have been somebody awfully important. Actually, he is remembered most for being entombed in this elegant mausoleum.

    KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

    More pictures of the Bindley mausoleum.

  • McKinney Mausoleum, Homewood Cemetery

    An unusual style Father Pitt might call “Deco Romanesque.” The shape and tasteful restraint of the design are more in line with the Renaissance style, but the arch is trimmed with Romanesque details.

    KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

  • Benedum Mausoleum, Homewood Cemetery

    Michael Late Benedum, the oil baron, and his wife Sarah built this Renaissance palazzo in 1919 after their only son Claude died of the Spanish flu in 1918. Michael himself didn’t move in until 1959. There are three gorgeous stained-glass windows inside, of which only one can be easily photographed without gaining access to the interior.

    This mausoleum is the only one in the cemetery that is wired for electricity. For all Father Pitt knows, it may have Internet and cable as well. The power is needed to run a heating system that prevents condensation.

    The pictures in this article have been donated to the public under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, so no permission is needed to use them for any purpose whatsoever.

  • Walter-Wallace Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

    A rare example of mid-nineteenth-century Egyptian Revival architecture (as opposed to the very common early-twentieth-century Egyptian style). This mausoleum is not listed on the cemetery’s site, so it would be work to figure out when it was built; in general, though, half-underground mausoleums like these date from the first two or three decades of the cemetery’s existence. Father Pitt guesses this one might date from the 1850s. The name “Wallace” was clearly added later.

    These pictures have been donated to the public under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, so no permission is needed to use them for any purpose whatsoever.