By Nathalie Belkin, Lead Processor; Gabriella Carl-Johnson, Kay Menick, Sara Fetherolf, Erin Allsop, Jessica Mack, and Katie Alleman, Interns
Title: Architectural Drawings and Blueprints, c. 1880s-1990s
Predominant Dates:1910-1930s
Extent: 0.0
Subjects: A. Faranda and Son, Acea family, Agoglia family, Altar to Liberty: Minerva, Architectural Drawings, Architecture, Arnold, K.F., Arnold, N.B., Arnold family, Art nouveau (Architecture), Bahrenburg, John H., Bahrenburg family, Barclay family, Barrow, ME James T., Barrow family, Barthman family, Beaux-Arts architecture, Benisch Bros. Monumental Works, Blueprints, Bourne family, Bromell family, Brown, John W., Brown family, Buildings--Design and construction, C.E. Tayntor & Co., Cemeteries--New York (State)--New York--History, Cinerary urns, Colyer family, Cushman, Eugene, Cutting, James D.W., Cutting family, Daly, Margaret, Daly family, Davis Granite Co, Architects and Contractors, de Aldama family, DeLaCour and Ferrara, Delafield, Major Rich D., Delafield family, Dewey family, Doerschuck family, Dunne family, Egyptian revival (Architecture), Euler family, Farrington, Gould and Hoagland, Feitner, John, Felzmann family, Flagg, Ernest, Gilbert family, Goodnough family, Gothic revival (Architecture), Gould, J. R, Gould, James S., Gould family, Green-Wood Cemetery--New York, N.Y., Greve family, Griswold family, Hapgood family, Harder family, Harrison Granite Co., Havemeyer family, Heins and La Farge Architects, Higgins, Charles, Higgins family, Hillside architecture, Hoffman & Prochazka, Designers, Sculptors, and Builders, Horn, Alfred E., Horn family, Howland family, John Thatcher & Son, Kampfe family, Kenneth, W.D., Lawrence family, Lingard family, Ludlum, Emma R., Ludlum family, Martin, Robert, Martin family, Mausoleums, McAlpin family, Murdock family, Obelisks, Parish family, Parsons family, Penn Brass and Bronze Works, Pitbladdo Monumental Works, Polak family, Presbrey-Coykendall Company, Presbrey-Leland Monument Company, Renwick, Aspinwall, and Tucker, Reynolds family, Riley family, Ritzheimer family, Robinson, F. Delancey, Romanesque architecture, Rosanelli family, Ruckstull, F. W. (Fred Wellington), 1853-1942, Sands family, Sarcophagi, Sculpture and architecture, Sepulchral chapels, Sepulchral monuments, Victorian, Sepulchral monuments--New York (State)--New York, Sepulchral monuments--United States, Sepulchral monuments industry, Smallman, Thomas F., Smallman family, Somers family, Stephens, Annie W., Stephens, Benjamin F., Stephens family, Stevenson family, Stone, Gould, & Co, Designers and Builders, Sullivan, John W., Sullivan family, Texter family, Tiefel family, Tombs & sepulchral monuments, Torrio, Johnny, Torrio Family, Umberto Innocenti and Richard K. Webel, Landscape Architects, Underground architecture, Upjohn, Hobart, VanRensselaer family, Vaults (Sepulchral), W.F. Benedict & Son, W.W. Leland Co. Inc., Walsh, James F., Warren & Wetmore, Wesselman family, Wood family, Woolley family
Languages: English
The Architectural Drawings and Blueprints collection contains over 150 separate series of designs, each of which has one to around 20 individual drawings. Each series represents designs for a mausoleum or other architectural feature at Green-Wood Cemetery.
Most of the designs are for private family mausoleums, although the collection also includes blueprint materials for the historic Green-Wood chapel designed by Warren & Wetmore, alterations made to the Fifth Avenue gate, and plans for the mid-twentieth-century Columbarium. Other notable features in the collection include the Higgins mausoleum series, which contains photographs and early designs of the famous Battle Hill monument Altar to Liberty: Minerva by sculptor F. Wellington Ruxell. Many additional series may include more famous names in New York City history, such as those for the Cooper-Hewitt family and the Torrio family.
The majority of these drawings are printed on large blueprint paper, although there are a significant number of series that contain original drawings on tracing paper or drafting linen, as well as prints on Mylar, photocopy paper, or other reproduction materials. Many series also contain specifications documents—legal agreements between the architectural firm and the cemetery, which outline the plans, materials, and workman regulations for construction. In some cases, there is additional material, such as correspondence with lot owners and alternate mausoleum designs.
The collection’s dates range from the 1880s to the 1990s; the majority of the mausoleum designs were created between 1910 and 1930, at a time when it was widely popular among upper-class families to have a mausoleum or vault in which to inter their deceased relatives. Many architects of the time specialized in mausoleum design. Architectural firms that produced a large number of mausoleum designs in this collection include the Presbrey-Leland Monument Company, John Feitner Architects, and the Harrison Granite Company.
Researchers may wish to consult a specific series, which can give an interesting insight into the family in question, or they may wish to look at multiple series in the collection, in order to gain an example of the way construction and design aesthetics changed over time. The collection is a particularly valuable example of the way cemetery architecture developed in its golden years, particularly because many of the wealthiest and most prestigious New York families chose to be interred at Green-Wood.
The collection is currently stored in two locations—some material is in the Green-Wood archives, while many other blueprints are kept in the surveyor’s office of the administrative building. The container list has additional information on each item in this significant and highly variable collection, including notes on the date of designs, the architectural firm that created the drawings, and information on the size, condition, markings, and design features of each piece. All blueprint materials have been scanned and are digitally available; a preview of the image file is attached to each item. High-resolution images of each scan are available upon request.
The material is in varying condition, and embrittled drawings have been encapsulated in Mylar to ensure preservation.
The Green-Wood archives hold additional records acquired from the Presbrey-Leland Monument Company relating to Green-Wood Cemetery, and researchers may find it useful to consult this collection in conjunction with the Architectural Drawings and Blueprints.
A. Faranda and Son
Acea family
Agoglia family
Altar to Liberty: Minerva
Architectural Drawings
Architecture
Arnold, K.F.
Arnold, N.B.
Arnold family
Art nouveau (Architecture)
Bahrenburg, John H.
Bahrenburg family
Barclay family
Barrow, ME James T.
Barrow family
Barthman family
Beaux-Arts architecture
Benisch Bros. Monumental Works
Blueprints
Bourne family
Bromell family
Brown, John W.
Brown family
Buildings--Design and construction
C.E. Tayntor & Co.
Cemeteries--New York (State)--New York--History
Cinerary urns
Colyer family
Cushman, Eugene
Cutting, James D.W.
Cutting family
Daly, Margaret
Daly family
Davis Granite Co, Architects and Contractors
de Aldama family
DeLaCour and Ferrara
Delafield, Major Rich D.
Delafield family
Dewey family
Doerschuck family
Dunne family
Egyptian revival (Architecture)
Euler family
Farrington, Gould and Hoagland
Feitner, John
Felzmann family
Flagg, Ernest
Gilbert family
Goodnough family
Gothic revival (Architecture)
Gould, J. R
Gould, James S.
Gould family
Green-Wood Cemetery--New York, N.Y.
Greve family
Griswold family
Hapgood family
Harder family
Harrison Granite Co.
Havemeyer family
Heins and La Farge Architects
Higgins, Charles
Higgins family
Hillside architecture
Hoffman & Prochazka, Designers, Sculptors, and Builders
Horn, Alfred E.
Horn family
Howland family
John Thatcher & Son
Kampfe family
Kenneth, W.D.
Lawrence family
Lingard family
Ludlum, Emma R.
Ludlum family
Martin, Robert
Martin family
Mausoleums
McAlpin family
Murdock family
Obelisks
Parish family
Parsons family
Penn Brass and Bronze Works
Pitbladdo Monumental Works
Polak family
Presbrey-Coykendall Company
Presbrey-Leland Monument Company
Renwick, Aspinwall, and Tucker
Reynolds family
Riley family
Ritzheimer family
Robinson, F. Delancey
Romanesque architecture
Rosanelli family
Ruckstull, F. W. (Fred Wellington), 1853-1942
Sands family
Sarcophagi
Sculpture and architecture
Sepulchral chapels
Sepulchral monuments, Victorian
Sepulchral monuments--New York (State)--New York
Sepulchral monuments--United States
Sepulchral monuments industry
Smallman, Thomas F.
Smallman family
Somers family
Stephens, Annie W.
Stephens, Benjamin F.
Stephens family
Stevenson family
Stone, Gould, & Co, Designers and Builders
Sullivan, John W.
Sullivan family
Texter family
Tiefel family
Tombs & sepulchral monuments
Torrio, Johnny
Torrio Family
Umberto Innocenti and Richard K. Webel, Landscape Architects
Underground architecture
Upjohn, Hobart
VanRensselaer family
Vaults (Sepulchral)
W.F. Benedict & Son
W.W. Leland Co. Inc.
Walsh, James F.
Warren & Wetmore
Wesselman family
Wood family
Woolley family
Details: Specifies all the materials and labor needed to build the mausoleum, including requirements for the four requested catacombs and their measurements. Sets out work rules of the site.
Size: 8 ½” x 14”
Drawing Material: Thin legal-sized typing paper, with black typed specifications.
Materials Noted: Concrete (cement, grit, broken rock), stone, slate, brick, marble, bronze, granite and stained glass.
Notes/Markings: Each page is signed and dated by the Superintendent of Green-Wood Cemetery.
Condition: Good. Some creasing along the top of the document, on the first page. The binding paper is torn in the center
Details: A rectangle inside a large circle “Front of it” written along the bottom of the plan and “front” written on the bottom of the rectangle as well. At the back of the plan, the space measurements between the rectangle and the circle are 1’-0” on either corner of the rectangle and 2’-7” from the center of the rectangle to the circle.
Size: 25” x 27.3”
Drawing Material: Pencil on thin tracing paper.
Notes/Markings: “Sec. G” written on the bottom right-hand side of the plan.
Condition: Paper is torn and fraying along the center fold lines. There are torn away pieces of the paper along the left had side of the drawing. Tape has been used on the back of the drawing to hold some parts together.
Scale: ¾” = 1’-0”
Size: 29” x 16 ½”
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Notes/Markings: Written in pencil along the bottom center of the plan is, “Keep foundation 1 or 1½ below grade on right front corner.” Pencil notes change some of the original measurements. Next to the front, 13’-8” is crossed out and “13-10” is written instead. Pencil changes are also noted along the top of the foundation.
Condition: Very good. There is some fraying and minor tearing along the left side and top of the plan.
Design/Style: The foundation is solid. It is not equal all around, but contains different heights, all connecting to each other.
Scale: ¾” = 1’-0”
Details: This is very similar to item C in this series, minus a few of the added pencil markings. The plan sets out the original measurements for the front (13’-10”).
Size: 20 ½” x 15 ½”
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Notes/Markings: The top right-hand corner has pencil calculations.
Condition: Good condition. Fold marks are visible with them very thick along the back of the blueprint. The top right corner has a fold line across it. The left side of the plan has some frayed edging and visible staple holes.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Size: 41 ½” x 22”
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Bronze, marble, slate, cement, concrete and stained
Notes/Markings: The longitudinal section has a pencil addition underneath the bottom step. No measurements are noted. Each of the three section plans are signed and approved.
Condition: Fair condition. The left and right sides are ripped, destroying some of the plan. The top right corner is also missing and the top of the plan is frayed.
Design/Style:
Ground Plan: The left plan is a detailed ground plan, marking out four Tuscan-style columns at the entrance, bronze doors with brick walls on each side leading into the crypt. Marble flooring, air space vents and marble tablets are also marked out. There is a stained glass window at the back and on either side of the window are “niche for cinery urn.” A stained glass window is also marked on the right side of the ground plan.
Longitudinal Section: The foundation is clearly marked with cement above it and a marble floor. There are two rectangles in the middle with bronze handles on either end of them. The left-side wall has a stained glass window with the note “pattern to be selected” written in. The inside of the mausoleum also denotes a “niche for cinerary urn” on the right side, at the back is another stained glass window. The ceiling of the mausoleum is marble. Three steps up to the mausoleum are shown with a Roman Tuscan style column at the front and a square roof.
Transverse Section: Foundation level with concrete above is noted. The stained glass window is shown at the back. The roof is peaked with a bronze hanger from the ceiling of the mausoleum to the top peak of the roof. Two windows on either side of the mausoleum are marked. Below the window are two rectangles one has bronze handles marked and a marble cover.
Scale: 1½” = 1’
Size: 25” x 20.5”
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Rock.
Notes/Markings: The main note here discusses the grade: “ON FRONT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT GRADE FALLS 9” ON 8-0” FEET. ON SIDE FROM REAR TO FRONT GRADE FALLS 1-8” ON 4’-8.”
Condition: Good. Some fraying of the left side of the plan. The bottom left is slightly curled. The back has clearly marked fold lines – into quarters. There are staple holes along the left side.
Design/Style:
Front Elevation: Points out the grade lines along the back and front of the stairs, noting the grass line and grass around the foundation. Both sides of the elevation plan have circular column tops (Roman Tuscan style).
Right Side Elevation: Marks out the rock that will be used and the foundation. The grade line is present with grass above it.
Ground Plan: Visible here are the column top circles (1-4” in diameter). The center of this plan is divided into three section of differing measurements from the front (1’-1”), the center (1’-6”), the back (1’-4”). Two squares along the back flank the last division of the center, each measuring 1’-4” wide.
Size: 41 ½” x 19 ½”
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Notes/Markings: Each plan is individually signed, approved and dated. Pencil lines on each plan denote the grade line.
Condition: The right side is ripped into the drawing itself. The top right corner is also missing. The left side of the plan is frayed with some tearing.
Design/Style:
Front Elevation: Shows the front view of the entrance of the mausoleum. The name “HORN” is at the center of the front and next to it is a note on the blueprint, “7” letters raised 1” front only, face of letters polished.” The roof is peaked. Three steps lead up to the bronze doors and on either side of the door are Roman Tuscan columns. One set of Roman Tuscan columns are on the bottom of the stairs with a square base, the second set are on the top stairs, with a thinner base.
Side Elevation: Shows the side wall leading up to the stained glass window on the right side. Air vents are noted on the floor of the mausoleum as well as the ceiling. One Roman Tuscan column is visible here with a height of 9’-3.” Measurements from the top of the foundation to the roof is 17’-3.”Air vents are also noted on the top right of the plan.
Rear Elevation: Notes the stained glass window on the back wall and states that the “pattern to be selected.” The length of the wall is 13’-7.”