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
Scale: 3/4" = 1'
Details: The most detailed part of this drawing is the front door, which features a low relief design of a vase on the bottom half and a patterned top half (possibly grillework or reinforced glass). A horizontal handle is centered in the door and "J.C. HOAGLAND" is engraved above the door, below a pediment containing a flower.
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Bronze, stone
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 1". Vents and joints are indicated. The roof is made of "one stone."
Condition: Copy 1 is encapsulated in Mylar; Copy 2 is not and is in good condition.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: The plan features one large drawing, and three smaller drawings above that. The main drawing illustrates the side elevation of the mausoleum, including some measurements and illustrations of bronze vents. The three small drawings illustrate the “Stone Tile Cover”, “Bronze Dowels”, and “Full Size of Joint”. The “Line of Bank” is shown cutting diagonally through the tomb.
Size: 19 ½” x 26”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Cement, bronze, stone
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 2".
Condition: Good. Some folding, and three small holes along the top edge.
Scale: 3/4" = 1'
Details: This drawing shows the rear roofs with part of the interior indicated by dotted lines.
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Stone
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 3". Types of stone and placement of joints are specified.
Condition: Good, although with a small tear at the bottom, brad holes along the top, and slight discoloration in the top right corner.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: 9 catacombs shown. A band of leaf and scroll pattern is shown across the tomb, below “vault of glass mosaic”. The top of the vault is a Guastavino-style arch with “gilt bronze rosette” in center.
Size: 19 ½" x 26"
Drawing Materials: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Gravel, concrete, bronze, glass
Notes/Markings: Title blocks; "No. 4"
Scale: 3/4" = 1'
Details: See Item D in this series. This copy includes the names and dates of the individuals entombed in each crypt.
Materials Noted: See Item D in this series.
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 4".
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: This plan features a cross-section of the mausoleum, illustrating the nine vaults with bronze handles, domed roof, layer of waterproofing, glass mosaic, bronze rosette, decorative details, and the foundation.
Size: 19 ½” x 26”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint and photocopy
Materials Noted: Gravel, tile, bronze, concrete, glass, gilt bronze
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 6".
Condition: Good. Small holes along top edge, some folding at bottom left corner.
Scale: 3/4" = 1'
Details: This plan shows two rooms within the mausoleum. The first room is the entry vestibule with side windows. The back room contains crypts (labeled as niches). Details in the entry vestibule include a Guastavino arch, a vaulted ceiling with glass mosaic, carved moulding, and a rosette. The grade line is indicated, as are the air spaces below ground.
Drawing Material: Copy 1 is a blueprint and Copy 2 is a photocopy.
Materials Noted: Gilt bronze, glass mosaic, brick, loose stone/gravel, solid stone, and concrete.
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 5." Legend of materials.
Condition: Good. Three brad holes and slight wrinkling.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: This blueprint features four drawings: on the left is a foundation plan, on the right are three cross-sections of different parts of the foundation. The three areas shown are labeled with letters and marked with dotted lines on the foundation plan.
Size: 42” x 24 ½”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Concrete, gravel
Condition: Good. Some small tears along the bottom edge.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: This plan features two drawings, the foundation plan and ceiling plan. The ceiling features a blue mosaic with gilded bronze rosette at the center, surrounded by a design made of gold glass.
Size: 19 ½” x 26"
Drawing Materials: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Gold glass, blue mosaic, gilded bronze
Condition: Good. Some small holes along top edge.
Details: Shows cemetery roadway and location of mausoleum on lot.
Drawing Material: Black and red ink on drafting linen.
Condition: Smudges along the edges and fold creases. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: This plan shows an overhead view of the mausoleum. It illustrates three niches at the rear, two circular niches on the sides, one step up to the door, and the bronze front door. The design of the floor, featuring green marble, a marble mosaic, and granite border, is also shown.
Size: 19 ½” x 26”
Drawing Materials: Blueprint and photocopy.
Materials Noted: Bronze, marble, green marble, granite
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 7".
Condition: Good. Three small holes along top edge.
Scale: 3/4" = 1'
Details: Both copies show the roof from an aerial perspective. The roof over the main part of the mausoleum measures 17'1" wide and 14'7" deep and is made of one stone. The roof over the entrance measures 14'4" wide and is made with three stones. Copy 2 includes handwritten notes reading "no joint" across the main roof.
Drawing Material: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Stone
Notes/Markings: Title block; "No. 8".
Condition: Both have brad holes along the top; Copy 1 also has slight discoloration.
Scale: ¾” = 1’
Details: This plan shows one large drawing of the roof plan, and two small drawings of the side, front and rear elevations of the roof stones. Some measurements and architectural details are shown.
Size: 19" x 26"
Drawing Materials: Blueprint
Materials Noted: Stone
Condition: Fair. 4” tear in bottom edge, piece missing from bottom edge, small tears throughout.
Details: 5-page contract, including cover page, discussing the materials to be used and construction process.
Drawing Material: Typewritten on paper
Materials Noted: Stone, concrete (Atlas cement, clean sharp sand, and clean broken granite).
