Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Neo-Romanesque tombs

More shots from Mt. View Cemetery.  This is a series of family tombs designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson.  He included elements of Romanesque architecture in his structures.  For some reason, I think of beehives when I see them.  Although they look identical, there are subtle differences between the buildings.  These mausoleums house prominent San Francisco families beginning with scions who died near the turn of the 19th century.  Even for San Franciscans, Oakland's Mt. View Cemetery was THE place to be buried.  More detailed information can be found at Lives of the Dead, which tells the tales behind the tombs.  Linking today to Julie's Taphophile Tragics.
Posted by Oakland Daily Photo at 11:18 PM
Labels: , , ,

15 comments:

  1. Gemma WisemanFebruary 21, 2012 at 12:30 AM

    Impressive lineup of family tombs! They are like entrances to some secret garden!

    ReplyDelete
  2. PeterFebruary 21, 2012 at 1:22 AM

    Look like pretty serious tombs, thanks for the comment on my blog.
    The 12,000 casualties include wounded as well. I could not find the breakdown, there are thousands with no marked grave and lie still where they buried during the conflict. There is a big memorial at V-B with their names there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My name is RietFebruary 21, 2012 at 1:52 AM

    That is indeed impressive. great works of art.

    ReplyDelete
  4. VioletSkyFebruary 21, 2012 at 1:54 AM

    And to think there are some people living whose are not so solid and elaborate.

    ReplyDelete
  5. KathyFebruary 21, 2012 at 2:50 AM

    Wow, this is amazing. Gorgeous and spooky all at he same time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. MildredFebruary 21, 2012 at 3:42 AM

    So beautiful! Amazing architecture for a cemetery!
    Thanks for sharing;o)

    ***
    Happy day****

    ReplyDelete
  7. biebkriebelsFebruary 21, 2012 at 3:47 AM

    A very nice cemetery with huge graves like houses.

    ReplyDelete
  8. hamiltonFebruary 21, 2012 at 4:43 AM

    Thanks for that link. These are indeed impressive mausoleums.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Herding CatsFebruary 21, 2012 at 4:48 AM

    They do look a lot like bee hives. Fantastic picture.

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownFebruary 21, 2012 at 10:12 AM

    Lovely pic -- I like the warmer tones you captured. And thanks for linking to Lives of the Dead for more info on the people.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnnFebruary 21, 2012 at 3:18 PM

    they're huge. Fascinating place.

    ReplyDelete
  12. SondraFebruary 21, 2012 at 5:29 PM

    Beatiful looking, they remind me of those big ovens where they cook Pottery!

    ReplyDelete
  13. JackFebruary 21, 2012 at 6:51 PM

    H. H. Richardson! I recognize his style immediately, although back East most of his work uses brownstone as the main stone.

    ReplyDelete
  14. JulieFebruary 22, 2012 at 2:38 AM

    You know, it has probably been years since either a Powell or a Searle has creaked those doors open. Probably since anyone has.

    That last comment by Jack is interesting. I have not been able to identify an individual mason by style as yet. All the names on grave-markers that i see tend to be the name of the funeral parlour. But I shall keep trying.

    I wonder what it would be like to go inside one of these mausoleums. Stuffy, perhaps. Hot, even. I wonder if the hairs on the back of one's neck stand to salute.

    Thank you for this Carolyn. I travel around both our memes, and am soooo chuffed. Doin' good, girl.

    ReplyDelete
  15. CaTFebruary 22, 2012 at 6:50 PM

    big!
    there is one cemetery around here that also has quite some of these lined up... maybe i should go back there...

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)