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
The Riley family mausoleum was designed by John Feitner Monumental Works, which at the time was located at 24th & 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY—local to the cemetery. Though the series is undated in was probably created circa 1920s, based on the other designs by Feitner’s monument company that are included in this collection. The Riley drawings contain many hand-drawn original designs, as well as blueprint reproductions that appear to be copies of revised drawings, and that frequently differ from original designs in measurements and dimensions. Researchers may find this series of interest because it exhibits the development of a final design, as the original plans may be compared to blueprint copies and revisions noted. Designs display a neoclassical aesthetic, with inverted ovolo and inverted cavetto detailing. Standard views of exterior elevations, interior sectional drawings, and ground plans are included; the series also has an unusual interior elevation, showing marks on specific catacomb chambers, perhaps to show which of these chambers were intended for immediate use at the time of construction. Further information on the details and conditions of each drawing may be found under the descriptions of individual items.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 18” x 21.5”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: None specified.
Notes/Markings: Reproduction of embossed imprint of John Feitner Monumental Works is barely legible along left margin near base of building.
Condition: Embrittled. Numerous tears along edges, particularly along right edge. Small piece missing at center of lower edge. 3” tear at lower left edge. Small holes along upper edge from binding.
Style/Design Details: Neoclassical design. Projecting lintel and cornice above doorway is held by carved brackets (scroll and leaf, detailed in side elevation). Double door is solid at kick plate, with tri-part grillework on upper portion. Family name is inscribed in stone course just below building cornice, above fifth full-height course of stone. One roof course above cornice, with flat roofline at topmost cornice line. Molding above base course is neoclassical: inverted ovolo and inverted cavetto.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 18” x 21.5”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: None specified.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Embrittled throughout. Numerous small tears along all edges. Left edge folded and torn. Small holes at upper edge from binding.
Style/Design Details: Neoclassical design. Projecting lintel and cornice above doorway is held by carved brackets (scroll and leaf, detailed in side elevation). Double door is solid at kick plate, with tri-part grillework on upper portion. Family name is inscribed in stone course just below building cornice, above fifth full-height course of stone. One roof course above cornice, with flat roofline at topmost cornice line. Molding above base course is neoclassical: inverted ovolo and inverted cavetto.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 18” x 21.5”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: None specified.
Notes/Markings: Reproduction of embossed imprint of John Feitner Monumental Works is barely legible along right lower margin near base of building.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears along all edges. Discoloration and browning on reverse.
Style/Design Details: Beaux arts/neoclassical design. Three cornice lines in side elevation. Bracket of doorway cornice is carved with leaf and scroll detailing. Molding above base course is inverted ovolo and inverted cavetto.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 18” x 21.5”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: None specified.
Notes/Markings: Reproduction of embossed imprint of John Feitner Monumental Works is barely legible along right lower margin near base of building.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears along all edges. Discoloration along all edges. Small folds along upper and lower edges.
Style/Design Details: Beaux arts/neoclassical design. Three cornice lines in side elevation. Bracket of doorway cornice is carved with leaf and scroll detailing. Molding above base course is inverted ovolo and inverted cavetto.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 21” x 18”
Drawing Materials: Hand-drawn original—graphite on tracing paper.
Materials Noted: Granite, bluestone, marble, brick.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears along all edges. Upper and left edges especially damaged.
Style/Design Details: Beaux arts/neoclassical design. Three cornice lines in side elevation. Bracket of doorway cornice is carved with leaf and scroll detailing. Chambers four high. Depth of entrance space is nearly equivalent in depth to chambers.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 18” x 22”
Drawing Materials: Hand-drawn original—graphite on tracing paper.
Materials Noted: Bluestone, brick, concrete, granite, marble.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Edges are torn and wrinkled. Embrittling throughout.
Style/Design Details: Design is an alternate or revision to other longitudinal section—measurements and dimensions differ. Four chambers high. Three cornice lines at left edge of section. Scroll and leaf detailing in bracket below lowermost cornice.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: Not a reproduction of the hand-drawn originals in file—details differ.
Size: 22” x 17”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: Granite, bluestone, concrete.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears along all edges.
Style/Design Details: Beaux arts/neoclassical design. Three cornice lines in side elevation. Bracket of doorway cornice is carved with leaf and scroll detailing. Chambers four high. Depth of entrance space differs from that specified in hand-drawn longitudinal section—this version is 2” deeper.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 17” x 17”
Drawing Materials: Hand-drawn original—graphite on tracing paper.
Materials Noted: Granite floor.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears, particularly along left edge. Was in bound packet.
Style/Design Details: Four chambers wide by three tall. 4” vertical spaces between. 2 ½” horizontal spacers. Each chamber 2-10 ½” wide.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 17” x 22”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: Granite floor, concrete foundation.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears, particularly along left and right edges. Small holes along upper edge from binding.
Style/Design Details: Four chambers wide by three tall. 4” vertical spaces between. Each chamber is 2-11 5/8” wide, an increased dimension compared to hand-drawn copy.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block; no identifying text of any kind.
Size: 23” x 12”
Drawing Materials: Hand-drawn original—graphite on tracing paper.
Materials Noted: None specified.
Notes/Markings: Interior elevation shows ends of chambers—three wide by four high. Eight of these are marked with an X: each of the three on the bottommost two rows, and the two side chamber of the third row (center chamber of the third row and all chambers of the top row are left blank).
Condition: Two deep vertical folds. Discoloration in paper. Embrittling throughout.
Style/Design Details: Interior elevation shows an arched ceiling profile, thus inconsistent with other drawings in the Riley series.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 18” x 22”
Drawing Materials: Hand-drawn original—graphite on tracing paper.
Materials Noted: Granite floor, bluestone flag, brick, marble.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears and holes throughout. Left and lower edges especially damaged.
Style/Design Details: Dimensions differ from other versions and views. Depth of visiting chamber is one foot greater than in sectional views. Base level and entrance steps appear chamfered.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block. Differs slightly from hand-drawn plan; dimensions vary.
Size: 17” x 22”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: Granite floor, brick.
Notes/Markings: On reverse in pencil is noted: “Riley 2332”; in black ink: “Riley”.
Condition: Embrittling throughout. Small tears along right edge. Small holes along top edge from binding. Reverse is darkened and discolored.
Style/Design Details: Dimensions differ from other drawings. Base level and entrance steps appear beveled/chamfered.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: No title block.
Size: 16” x 22”
Drawing Materials: Black and red ink on drafting linen.
Materials Noted: Concrete.
Notes/Markings: None supplemental.
Condition: One vertical fold line and one horizontal fold line; wrinkling throughout. Lower corner embossed with John Feitner’s stamp. Reverse is discolored along fold lines.
Style/Design Details: Indicates one 1’ thick wall, and additional stepped buttressing walls.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Date: undated
Details: “Foundation Plan for ‘Riley’ Mausoleum Lot – Sec – Green-Wood Cem.”
Size: 16” x 22”
Drawing Materials: Black and red ink on drafting linen.
Materials Noted: Granite, concrete.
Notes/Markings: Several notes added in pencil concerning dimensions. Embossed stamp of John Feitner at lower left corner. On reverse in pencil: “Riley 2332” and in black ink: “Riley”.
Condition: Numerous fold throughout, especially one central vertical fold and one central horizontal fold. Lower edge discolored and wrinkled.
