Pittsburgh Cemeteries

Tag: Mausoleums

  • 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.

  • Wharton Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

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    The cemetery site dates this to about 1860; it is one of the early half-underground mausoleums in the cemetery. The simple classical lines are enlivened by just a bit of ornate scrolling on the roof. The cemetery lists the original plot owner as Oliverette Wharton, a resident of East Birmingham (now the section of the South Side between 17th and 24th Streets).

  • Singer Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

    A rather Jeffersonian basilica with a dome and a porch with “modern Ionic” columns. It was built in 1903 for William Henry Singer, a steel baron, who lived six more years to enjoy looking at it from the outside.

  • King Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

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    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.