Pittsburgh Cemeteries

Tag: Mausoleums

  • Charles Brewer Mausoleum, Allegheny Cemetery

    There are two distinct periods of Egyptian architecture in our cemeteries. The first, which has left few remains, came in the early and middle nineteenth century; the second, whose remains are abundant, was mostly in the early twentieth century. Here is a rare example of the earlier period, a mausoleum dating from about 1850. It is very different from the Hollywood-set Egyptian of the later period. Like most of the earliest mausoleums in the Allegheny Cemetery, it is dug into a hillside. The tapering pilasters and flanking obelisks mark the Egyptian character. Names and death dates of various Brewer family members are engraved on the bases of the obelisks.

  • Leopold Vilsack Mausoleum, St. Mary’s Cemetery

    Leopold Vilsack is described in his obituary as a “millionaire banker, brewer, and property owner.” Certainly Pittsburgh owes a lot of its self-image to him, because the brewery he founded was incorporated as the Iron City Brewing Company. His mausoleum is certainly extraordinary, perhaps the most lavish Romanesque mausoleum in Pittsburgh. It is turreted like a castle, but it reminds us that the deceased was a good Catholic with a prominent cross and alpha-omega monogram.

  • Charles Donnelly Mausoleum, St. Mary’s Cemetery

    A miniature Gothic church that strongly emphasizes the prickly pointiness of the Gothic style. No cleaning has been done in St. Mary’s, so many of the best mausoleums are still pristine Pittsburgh black.

  • Koegler Mausoleum, South Side Cemetery

    A standard-issue Romanesque mausoleum, though unusually deep in proportion to its width; but irresistibly picturesque in the last golden rays of evening sun.

  • Bratt Mausoleum, Union Dale Cemetery

    An unusual sort of mausoleum in Pittsburgh, though the usual sort in New Orleans: the crypts are accessed directly from the outside. Dr. Bratt and two very young sons are buried here; curiously, there seems to be room for their mother, but no inscription indicates that she is here.