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: The entrance to this mausoleum is reached by a set of three stairs, upon which rest four smooth Ionic columns (two on either side of the doors). Each entrance door has a horizontal handle in the center, above which are two vertically-stacked windows with grille work. Below each handle is an intricate carving of a wreath set into a square frame. The year “1898” is carved above the door, and “WILSON” is carved into a raised square in the frieze. Metopes and triglyphs decorate the frieze. The pediment is solid. Each course is labeled with a letter; there are 8 total (the stairs are “A” and the cornice is “H”).
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on paper.
Materials Noted: Bronze.
Notes/Markings: Measurements are provided for the stairs, column bases, doors, and courses. A mostly illegible stamp and signature of approval are located beneath the title block; it was signed by Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman on March 26, 1898. The columns are to be “polished” and there is a note for the capitals: “See detail.” The square where “1898” is carved is to be sunk, and the square where “Wilson” is carved is to be raised (“See detail”). There are also notes to “see detail” for the triglyphs. A faded red stamp on the reverse reads: “SUN PRINT AND COMPO-BOARD D[--] / 146 W. 46th St. | E. G. SOLTMANN DRAWING MATERIALS / 119 Fulton Street, New York”.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes on the left and a tear along the right edge. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This plan shows the left side of the mausoleum, with the building’s front facing the right edge of the plan. Courses A – H are indicated and the outermost column is shown resting on the top of three steps.
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on paper.
Notes/Markings: Measurements provided for courses A, B, F, G, and H, as well as for the stairs, entryway, and length of the roof. A note concerning the capital and frieze says “See full size detail.” A faded handwritten note in blue pencil, near the bottom of the plan, reads: “Lot 29704 & 29705 Section 196.” Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman signed and approved the plan on March 26, 1898 (located on the right side of the plan). The same red stamp located on the back of Item A is found on the reverse of this plan.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes on the left side and crease marks on the right. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Details: This plan shows the rear of the mausoleum, noting a window cut into courses D – F with bronze grille protecting it.
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on paper.
Materials Noted: Bronze grille, bronze screen.
Notes/Markings: Signature of approval by Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman (dated March 26, 1898) located on the right side of the plan. Measurements provided for each course, the window, two bronze screens, and the cornice. The same red stamp located on the back of Item A is found on the reverse of this plan.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes along the left edge. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Details: This plan shows the interior of the mausoleum as if the viewer were looking into the building with the entrance behind them. The window located in the rear wall is shown to have an intricate glass design. Space for six catacombs is shown.
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on paper.
Materials Noted: Concrete, marble tile, slate, marble, art glass.
Notes/Markings: Signature of approval by Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman (dated March 26, 1898) located on the right side of the plan. Vents, air space, ventilators, lugs, and grade line are all indicated. The same red stamp located on the back of Item A is found on the reverse of this plan.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes, plus crease marks, along the left edge. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Details: This plan shows the interior of the mausoleum as if the viewer were standing in front of the left wall and looking in. The stairs, column, and bronze doors are shown, as are three catacombs and the rear window. The construction underground is also shown.
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on paper.
Materials Noted: Concrete, marble tile, marble, bronze doors, bronze grille, art glass frame, granite.
Notes/Markings: Signature of approval by Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman (dated March 26, 1898) located on the right side of the plan. Notes added later in pencil read “One drip in middle” and “One [vent] in each slab in middle.” The same red stamp located on the back of Item A is found on the reverse of this plan.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes along the left edge. There is a rip in the lower left corner and tears and missing pieces on the bottom and right edges. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This plan combines a general outline with sections of the part of the building that is underground (specifically, a section of “Course A” and the granite platform.)
Size:
Drawing Material: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Materials Noted: Concrete, granite.
Notes/Markings: Signature of approval by Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman (dated March 26, 1898) located in the bottom right corner of the plan. The floor line, bottom line of catacombs, end of catacombs, center line of plan, line of top bed, and line of footing are all indicated.
Condition: Embrittled and wrinkled throughout with small tears at the top and discoloration on the back. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This plan provides a general outline of the mausoleum with portions of the building below the grade line shown in section.
Size:
Drawing Material: Blue pencil on paper.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes along the left edge and pieces missing along the top and bottom edges. Tears on the right side had been taped up on the back. Discoloration visible on the reverse and at the upper right corner. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This plan provides a more detailed overview of the foundation than Items F and G.
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on paper.
Materials Noted: Granite, marble, marble tile, brick, art glass, bronze, and slate.
Notes/Markings: Signature of approval by Green-Wood Superintendent Eugene Cushman (dated March 26, 1898) located at the right side of the plan. Above the signature is the “Granite Schedule Course E,” which provides the measurements for various portions of the walls, labeled with numbers 1 – 9.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with staple and brad holes along the left edge. Large portions of the bottom edge and upper left corner are missing and/or falling off. Crease marks and wrinkles are visible on the left and right edges, and there are holes and visible discoloration on the right edge. The reverse is discolored and contains many pieces of tape, along with “(9) Wilson” and “Wilson 29704” written in pencil. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: ¼” = 1’
Details: This plan shows a simple outline of the mausoleum and its place within Lots 29704-29705. Below this drawing is a diagram of the grade line, with measurements provided for both diagrams.
Size:
Drawing Material: Blueprint reproduction on paper.
Condition: Embrittled throughout with pieces missing from the bottom, fold lines throughout, and staple holes in the right corners. The reverse is discolored and has “Wilson” written in pencil. Encapsulated in Mylar.
Details: This plan shows the outline of the mausoleum, with measurements given for the width of the walls, length of the floor, entryway, and catacomb section.
Size:
Drawing Material: Black ink on linen with red ink and red and gray penciled notations.
Notes/Markings: “Line of Footing” and “Line of Top Bed” written in black ink; “Outside of excavation” written in pencil. Gray and red pencil marks were added later. On the reverse, “Wilson Vault” is written in black ink.
Condition: Crease marks and discoloration throughout; staple holes in the lower left corner and the right corner is bent up.
