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: 1” = 1’
Details: The front of the mausoleum includes four steps leading to the entrance. On the top step rests two rectangular blocks, their front panels carved with decorations and the letter “L”. Each block supports two columns with bases and carved capitals, which in turn support a frieze with “JOHN LOSTER” cut in large raised letters. The pediment is solid and the roof is topped with an antefix containing an anthemion ornament.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Notes/Markings: A stamped and signed approval by W. C. Grassau, Green-Wood Superintendent, is located in the lower right corner. From the title block: “Order No. 2495 / Stock: Hallowell.” The overall dimensions of the mausoleum are 20’ wide (side to side) x 28’ long (front to rear) x 17’ high. The door measures 3’2” wide and 6’10” tall. The front panels of the blocks are to be “carved, Front and Rear of Bldg” and the family name is to be “Raised ½” (full)”.
Condition: Discolored along the left edge and missing the lower right corner. Small rips along the bottom and right edges.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: The side of the mausoleum shows that the construction is smooth, without defined courses. The four steps leading to the entrance are continued around the building, and the columns and pilasters in the front of the building are mirrored at the rear. The pilasters have fluted capitals. Additionally, the antefix visible from the front elevation is also included in the back.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Notes/Markings: A stamped and signed approval by W. C. Grassau, Green-Wood Superintendent, is located in the lower right corner. From the title block: “Order No. 2495 / Stock: Hallowell.”
Condition: Discoloration along the left edge; stains along all four edges; and small rips at the bottom and right edges.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: The rear of the mausoleum is similar to the front, except there is a rounded arch window instead of a door. The antefix, shown in the side elevation, is not depicted here.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Notes/Markings: See Item B in this series. “Columns removed to show pilasters.” The window measures 3’ wide and 4’7” tall and the bottom is set 3’9” from the top step.
Condition: Discoloration along the bottom and right edges; stains throughout; title block is smudged; small rips along the bottom.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This plan shows the interior of the back half of the mausoleum. Visible in this drawing are the rear window and several sets of columns with carved capitals on either side of the building. There are four sarcophagi – two on each side. The left side of the plan shows that one is above ground and the other is below.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Notes/Markings: See Item B in this series. Notes added later in black ink note that the sarcophagi are to be “finished” and the thickness of the floor is 1’.
Condition: See Item C in this series.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This plan reveals more columns located within the mausoleum than are shown in the transverse section. Various measurements and dimensions are provided.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Materials Noted: Granite floor.
Notes/Markings: See Item B in this series. “Platform 8’3 ½” to front”; “All capitals carved”.
Condition: Stains in the upper left corner; part of the same corner is missing. Tears long the right edge.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This aerial view shows the placement of the exterior and interior columns as well as the rear window, door, and location of the sarcophagi. Various dimensions provided.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Materials Noted: Granite floor, polished; granite sarcophagi.
Notes/Markings: See Item B in this series; the stamp and signed approval is located in the upper right corner.
Condition: Torn at the lower left corner and along the right edge; the same edge is bent onto itself. Discoloration along the right edge.
Scale: ½” = 1’ (plan of plot); 1” = 1’ (front elevation)
Details: The plan of the plot takes up the majority of the blueprint. It shows an outline of the mausoleum and its location within a circular plot. The plot is enclosed by a fence with two large posts marking the entrance and 16 smaller posts evenly placed throughout the fence. Below this drawing is a front elevation of the entrance and additional posts. The entrance posts contain sunken panels on the front and are topped with bowls.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Materials Noted: Brass rail.
Notes/Markings: On the plan of plot: “Dotted line shows location of mausoleum.” Written in pencil are notes concerning the grade line. A stamped approval is located below the plot of the plan, but does not contain the superintendent’s signature or date. From the title block: “Order No. 2495; Stock: Hallowell.”
Condition: Part of the top right corner is missing, and there are tears all along the right edge. Discoloration is visible along the right and bottom edges.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: A general outline of the mausoleum is shown, along with a section drawing of the front entrance. Various dimensions are listed.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Notes/Markings: “Solid A.O.J.” is written in black pen beneath the title of the drawing; below that, in pencil, is the note: “Keep 1’0” below grade.” From the title block: “Order No. 2495; Stock: Foundation.”
Condition: Encapsulated in Mylar.
Scale: 1” = 1’
Details: This is a detailed view of the “front elevation” included in Item G in this series. It addresses the posts at the entrance to the lot and shows that the lot numbers are to be cut into the left post and the section number is to be cut into the right post. Both posts are topped by bowls.
Drawing Material: Blueprint.
Materials Noted: Brass rail.
Notes/Markings: Regarding the front panels: “Square raised hammered letters in sunk panel.” Regarding the bowl atop the post: “Bowl scooped out and hole for drainage drilled as shown by dotted line.” WCG [W.C. Grassau] signed and dated his approval on February 6, 1908. From the title block: “Order No. 2495; Stock: Hallowell.”
Condition: Encapsulated in Mylar.
Details: 7 pages long. This document discusses the general conditions and dimensions of the mausoleum, the bronze and granite to be used (and where), the foundation, the interior of the building, the rear window, and the plot’s enclosure, along with decorative work to be done.
Drawing Material: Typewritten on thin paper.
Materials Noted: Granite, light Italian marble, stained glass, bronze.
Notes/Markings: Written in pencil on the cover page is the note: 3 Copy / Loster / J.S.H. / 2/26/06 / [illegible initials]”. The last page of the document contains a handwritten addendum: “To be compleded [sic] by Oct 1 1907.” A stamped and signed approval from W.C. Grassau, Green-Wood superintendent, is located on the last page and is dated April 7, 1907.
Condition: Discolored and wrinkled with bottom corners bent up but otherwise in good condition.
