It can be appreciated, on several levels: architecturally, as a work of art, technologically, (the ventilation and drainage systems were state of the art for the, time), for the craftsmanship and symbolicallya building in repose, Within the past year, some repairs have been made, including the restoration of the richly profiled granite loggia roof to protect against water penetration, and security is being tightened. He willed the bulk of it$95 million, more than was possessed by the United States Treasuryto his oldest son, William Henry Vanderbilt. Window on the wall, Monastir, Tunisia, Africa - July, 2012: Inside the mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba. The niches over the main entrance are shaped like keyholes. The Vanderbilt Mausoleum resembles a small church with three sets of doors at the front and small vaulted windows above them. The Vanderbilt mausoleum on Staten Island, New York City. 327 East 34th St., N.Y LCCN2015645525.tif, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Vanderbilt_Mausoleum&oldid=646244428, Things in New York City named after the Vanderbilt family, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. During certain hours of the day, anyone can go inside and pay their respects to the deceased, even if theyre not family members. Copyright 2000-2023 Dreamstime. WIDOW GETS $109,196.47 Estate Pays $1,934,571, the Largest Inheritance Tax in History of Suffolk County. Next page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barbara Cairncross Rutherfurd (18951939), This page was last edited on 23 April 2023, at 10:53. (17) Thomas E. Kelly and Robert Miraldi, The Vanderbilt Mausoleum, American Funeral Director, vol. Do bodies still decompose inside of mausoleums? The Mausoleum was planned by William H. Vanderbilt, and it was completed in 1886, following his death, by his son George W. Vanderbilt. Jay Gould (1836-1892), who fought the Commodore to a draw over control of the Erie Railroad, is buried beneath a Greek temple in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. [8], In 1919, she was made a Knight of the Lgion d'Honneur by the French government and in 1932, she received the rank of Officer of the Lgion d'Honneur. All of the caskets are in wall crypts. People might do so because a mausoleum doesnt only serve a practical purpose. The bays are protected with elaborate cast-bronze gates, and above each is a lunette carved in low relief with a biblical subject: the Creation, the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the Giving of the Law to Moses, David Praising the Lord, Solomon Sitting in Judgment (Pls. Opposite the door is a semicircular apse containing a small altar with a half-dome above (Pl. She and her sister had been visiting the nearby grave of a relative and decided to go look at the family mausoleum (it was a popular tourist attraction), and after they finished looking, she tried to close the 15 foot gate. The Vanderbilt Mausoleum is a replica of a Romanesque church in Arles, France. Dark Hallway Leading to Crypts & Coffins - Abandoned Mausoleum, Crypts & Stained Glass Window - Abandoned Mausoleum, A tombstone inside a mausoleum in Karnataka, India, Anitkabir, memorial tomb of Mustafa Kemal Atatrk, Ankara, Derelict Crypt - Abandoned Mausoleum - Rhode Island, Dome roof of main cemetery chapel in Vienna. To bury the tomb in the hillside, he caused more than forty thousand cubic yards of earth to be moved to create a wide terrace in front of the building. If you still have questions about the inside of a mausoleum, these FAQs may answer them. Here's how to honor your unique loved one. [5] They engaged Stanford White, then New York's most famous architect, to design the interiors of the Club. HELD MOSTLY IN SECURITIES Shares in Three Big Railway Sys- tems Totaled Nearly $29,000, -- 000 -- Realty Appraised. IIIb). a fortune of $105 million. This account has been disabled. Thanks, Cameron. The Chapel was designed by Leonardo DaVinci in the "Gothic Flamboyant" style in the early 1500's. On either side of the tomb are four bays, each containing nine coffin-sized vaults. Vanderbilt donated $1,000,000 and the buildings were completed in 1910. Remi Spriggs [Between 1885 and 1889] Photograph. But, it is late and I must go to bed now. Or, maybe you simply have an interest in the various ways we bury and store the dead. Inheriting the bulk of his fathers business in 1877, William Henry doubled the fortune, and by the time of his own death in 1885 was reputedly the richest man in the United States, if not the world. The outdoor space includes water features and sitting areas, allowing mourners and all other visitors to spend time remembering the deceased in a serene natural environment. Belmonts great love was horses. When he died in 1877 in his mansion at 10 Washington Place, Vanderbilt left Change). | ACTIVE IN WAR CHARITIES | Bride to-be Is Granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Harriman -- Wedding Soon", "MISS RUTHERFURD, CYRIL HATCH'S BRIDE; Younger Daughter of Mrs. Wm. [4] Her first cousin, E. H. Harriman, was the father of Governor W. Averell Harriman. That also means the exterior design of a mausoleum can vary greatly on a case-by-case basis. The Vanderbilt Cemetery and Mausoleum, located at 2205 Richmond Rd. (5) New York Times, March 19, 1885, p. 5. The Vanderbilt Cemetery landscape was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. III, IIIa, IIIb), the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, the Crucifixion, and the Ascension. We are not attorneys and are not providing you with legal A glass enclosure or similar feature will usually protect the body while giving visitors a chance to look directly at the corpse of a famous historical figure. advice. Seven men came to help when her two sisters cried out, and they were able to lift it off of her, but she died a couple of hours later. However, when he attempted to buy the necessary space he found the owners of the plots wanted exorbitant prices. There was a problem getting your location. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Click to follow this site and receive new posts by email. As was his wont, Olmsted was not content simply to landscape the land as he found it. The Vanderbilt Mausoleum was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and constructed between 1884 and 1886. it has 125 Interment Spaces, Only 28 Vanderbilt family members are entombed here, and 2 memorialized on crypts. A specialist will transfer the casket from the lift to the crypt. K. Vanderbilt, Sr., Married in Fifth Avenue Home. ? 3). ; Little Left by Son of Mrs. W.K. (14), After Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt (1877-1915) was drowned when the Lusitania sank in 1915, his name was inscribed on one of the vaults, although his body was never recovered. As early as 1917, Alva Belmont opened the mausoleum to the public and today it is frequently opened for tours given by the Friends of Woodlawn Cemetery. O.H.P. ; Work Started on Mrs. Vanderbilt's New East Side Home", "About Mott Schmidt: Beginnings and Sutton Place", "VANDERBILT PLANS FILED; Cost of Her Sutton Place Residence Estimated at $75,000", "MONKEYS ADORN TERRACE. You can place a casket in a mausoleum fairly simply. Alva Vanderbilt Belmont Also, just as the interior of a mausoleum can provide space for both coffins and urns, so can the exterior. Upon their deaths, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who established the familys fortune, and his son William H., who doubled it in just a few years, were the wealthiest men in the United States, if not the world. This link will open in a new window. Vanderbilt Is Secret Bride of Ex-British War Spy in Russia. That said, inside a mausoleum, you might find various other types of funerary art as well. However, those who want a mausoleum merely for their own loved ones can purchase private space, although the cost of doing so can be fairly high depending on a range of factors. The high water table could put a buried body at risk of becoming dislodged. Do people typically put bodies inside of mausoleums? View Full Article in Timesmachine , See the article in its original context from. The mausoleum that William Henry built is certainly roomy, with space for no less than seventy-two burials in the vaults and still more under the floor. They typically do so by placing an urn in a columbarium, a small indent in the mausoleum wall. We cannot give you customized advice on your situation or needs, which would require the service The term mausoleum is derived from the name of the Carian ruler Mausolus, whose tomb at Halicarnassus (built c. 350 BC in what is now Bodrum, Turkey) was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This page was last edited on 3 April 2022, at 05:37. (9) Never one to be overcharged, he acquired a twenty-acre parcel adjacent to the cemetery instead. Worshippers inside Sayyed Alaeddin Hossein Mosque, Mirrored mausoleum, Shiraz, Iran. Bridge Plaza Improvements. However, those who want a mausoleum merely for their own loved ones can purchase private space, although the cost of doing so can be fairly high depending on a range of factors. [14] The society pages of The New York Times scoffed at their relocation and referred to the areas as an "Amazon Enclave. (7) Other railroad barons also built elegant burial structures. Percy Preston, Jr. From a formidable stone arch (Fig. Although the Vanderbilt mausoleum is not in the same class as the tombs Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) created for the Medici, those who value American architecture will appreciate Hunts great tomb and want to ensure that this gem never becomes a ruin, which was the fate of the one at Halicarnassus. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Since there is no electrical power at the site, Hunt designed an ingenious passive ventilation system. She had no children by Vanderbilt. Then, like a great gray ghost from an earlier age, the Vanderbilt mausoleum, the largest private tomb in the United States, comes into view (see Pl. Miriam Kra, Queries (16) Verley Archer, Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, Sophia Johnson Vanderbilt and Their Descendants (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, 1972). To add to the beauty of the Gould mausoleum is a huge weeping birch tree, which was designated one of the "113 Great Trees in New York City" in 1985. , Hanley Wood Media, Inc., 05 March 2013, www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/lakewood-cemeterys-garden-mausoleum. New York, [1] She was buried inside the Vanderbilt mausoleum at the Moravian Cemetery, designed by Richard Morris Hunt and constructed in 18851886, part of the family's private section within the cemetery. in 1888, the bodies of Cornelius Vanderbilt, his parents, his two wives, and daughter Frances were reinterred within the new Vanderbilt Mausoleum in the Vanderbilt Cemetery next to Moravian. She was one of eight children born to banker Oliver Harriman (18291904) and Laura (ne Low) Harriman (18341901). Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. The mausoleum was built by the country's wealthiest family of their. IV). Vanderbilt Sells Country Home, "Stepping Stones," to Ormond G. Smith", "MRS. W.K. Hunt modeled the facade of the mausoleum on the twelfth-century Abbey Church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard near Arles, France (Fig. Vanderbilt Mausoleum.jpg 760 496; 481 KB Vanderbilt mausoleum.jpg 855 499; 190 KB 102 (June 1979), p. 27. Like interior vaults, these usually embed the mausoleum walls, but they face the exterior of the property, rather than the interior. COUPLE SAILED LAST FRIDAY Both Had Been Members of Omnipotent Oom's Mystic Colony in Nyack", "Mrs. M. S. Rutherfurd Wed To F. L. Sprague", "W. K. VANDERBILT'S COMING MARRIAGE; Mrs. Lewis Morris Rutherfurd the Prospective Bride. A concrete slab was poured on top of the roof, where there had only been dirt before, thereby increasing the load on the structure. [6], Anne was also known for her philanthropy and for devoting "herself to those less fortunate". Others may feature elaborate religious imagery. Park your car and you will have to walk up the hill (as the gate is always locked) through the Vanderbilt Cemetery until you come to the Vanderbilt Family Mausoleum. [9], In 1921, Anne then purchased the former home of Effingham B. Sutton, at 1 Sutton Place, for $50,000 in the then-new neighborhood of Sutton Place, also in Manhattan. 327 East 34th St., N.Y LCCN2015645525.jpg, Vanderbilt mausoleum, Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island, New York, under construction with workers) - Long & Heppner, photos. That said, some mausoleums also include entrances to underground catacombs. [10] The terrace, done by Renee Prahar, featured two center pillars with ornamental monkeys holding globes of light in their hands. A private family typically won't use a mausoleum to display the bodies of loved ones. The doors lead to an entrance loggia running the full width of the building. (4) This generation adopted a style of life modeled on that of the European aristocracy, which was anything but quiet and unostentatious. What you might find outside of a mausoleum can vary in the same way what you find inside of a mausoleum can vary. Muslim Shiite Men praying inside mirrored mosque, Shiraz, Iran. Theres a locked gate at the entrance to the cemetery, but the area also borders High Rock Park, so its easier to get in from the woods. [40] Vanderbilt, who had previously been married to Alva Smith and divorced in 1895, was the son of William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam. Despite the vast fortune of the Vanderbilts, the ornate family tomb has been allowed to fall into decay. A five-inch-thick limestone door then opens into the tomb, which is thirty feet wide, sixty feet deep, and has a forty-foot ceiling. Vanderbilt mausoleum, Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp, Staten Island, New York. 30 cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The lady who died was 24 year old Patricia Kirschhock of New Dorp. Theyre essentially miniature public cemeteries in that regard. The Vanderbilt section is not open to the public.[42]. The Belmont mausoleum is an almost exact full-scale replica of a famous building, the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the Queens section of Chateau Amboise in France's famed Loire Valley. (9) New-York Daily Tribune, December 16, 1884, p. 2. (15) Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, Without Prejudice (E. P. Dutton, New York, 1936), p. 113. There is a problem with your email/password. All 28 People entombed in the mausoleum & 2 that are memorialized on crypts. (8) Edward F. Bergman, Woodlawn Remembers: Cemetery of American History (North Country Books, Utica, New York, 1988), p. 69. of an actual attorney. The remains of Commodore Vanderbilt and his two wives, which are now in the receiving vault of the Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island, will, some time this week, be removed to the new Vanderbilt . There are many reasons this topic may interest you. [6] Vanderbilt, Marbury, and Morgan each hired Mott B. Schmidt (18891977),[12] an American architect best known for his buildings in the American Georgian Classical style,[13] to build, or in Vanderbilt's case, renovate homes in the neighborhood. Instagram. ERIK K. GRONNING AND DENNIS CARR are seeking the where-about of early eighteen, Nineteenth-century Navajo and Pueblo silver jewelry Here are some questions to ask a mausoleum construction company to ensure your private family mausoleum will stand the test of time. Remember, mausoleums are monuments to the dead. They wondered if it was a family member. At that time, the gate broke loose from its hinges and fell on her. In addition to azaleas, rhododendrons, and dogwoods, Olmsted chose some less familiar plants: Aralia pentaphylla (five-leaf Aralia), Diospyros virginiana (persimmon), Hypericum calycinum (Saint-Johns-wort), and Phellondendron amurense (Amur cork), among others. Anyone can read what you share. Please try again later. Richard Morris Hunt designed residences for Alva when she was a Vanderbilt and R.H. Hunt designed this mausoleum for her when she was a Belmont. Sometimes, when a body decomposes in a mausoleum, the natural buildup of gas inside the casket actually causes it to explode, although there are ways to guard against this. [1], In 1921, she also sold their country home, "Stepping Stones", in Wheatley Hills in Jericho on Long Island for $500,000 to Ormond Gerald Smith. Hunts first design was too elaborate, and provoked this response from Vanderbilt: We are plain, quiet, unostentatious people, and we dont want to be, buried in anything so showy as that would be. First planned by William H. Vanderbilt, it would be completed following his death by his son George W. Vanderbilt. (11) As the normal rainfall on Staten Island was inadequate to support that amount of foliage, an irrigation system had to be installed. 290-291. (10) He specified some sixty-five different types of plants for the grounds and gave detailed instructions as to where they were to be placed to create a natural looking landscape, quite the opposite from the ordered and symmetrical style of landscape modeled on beaux-arts architecture. Rendering] 1 drawing : graphite and ink wash on trace ; sheet 39.5 x 35.5 cm. See also John M. Bryan, Biltmore EstateThe Most Distinguished Private Place (Rizzoli, New York, 1994), pp. There are many reasons this topic may interest you. Businessman. Please note you are now trespassing on private property. Also occupying the panel are St. Hubert, patron saint of the hunt, St. Christopher, St. Anthony, dogs, angels, cherubs, and various woodland creatures. The windows above the doors have been stopped up with concrete blocks. As you drive into the entrance of the adjoining Moravian Cemetery stay to your left and make your way through the cemetery until you come to the intersection of Central Avenue and Overlook Avenue. You might wonder why someone would choose such a large storage space for an urn. Proposed faade. I have done fairly extensive research into the family but my search has pretty much ended at Gloria Vanderbilt and her children as being the only heirs of the original Vanderbilt fortune w/ a $5m trust originally left to her.Is there any other heirs still living that I am unaware of that hold claim to any remaining . Along with being a storage space, a mausoleum can give mourners a way to honor and, A gorgeous mausoleum technically is a work of, This type of vault is more common in private mausoleums. The Vanderbilt Mausoleum was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and constructed between 1884 and 1886. it has 125 Interment Spaces, Only 28 Vanderbilt family members are entombed here, and 2 memorialized on crypts. So is the Taj Mahal. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its original form through TimesMachine. For example, the Egyptian pyramids technically qualify as mausoleums, and their interiors look dramatically different from those of a mausoleum you might store a loved one in today. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Combined with its landscape the overall memorial design certainly warrants attention. (22) The challenge before the Vanderbilts today is to balance the interest of the public (and there-by attract some support) with their desire to preserve a resting place for their family. For information about opting out, click here. 3. (20), The Alfred G. Vanderbilt living today, who does not use a Roman numeral after his name, initiated the familys restoration effort. Two cupolas originally allowed daylight to illuminate the interior. Oh did I mention, the mausoleum and surrounding woods are haunted? Oliver Belmont Of course, displaying a body in this way usually only occurs when the body is that of someone famous or important. Thanks for your help! A member of the wealthy American Bobby Kelley has not added any memorials to this virtual cemetery. in New Dorp, was nominated by the State Board for Historic Preservation. Shipping and Railroad Tycoon. [33], Anne died on April 20, 1940. Kent L. Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society of New York and a former chairman of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, points out that the Vanderbilts played key roles in the development of modern New York City through both water-borne transportation and railroads. In some cultures, placing a body in a mausoleum was a way of showing respect for an important leader or celebrity. I have done fairly extensive research into the family but my search has pretty much ended at Gloria Vanderbilt and her children as being the only heirs of the original Vanderbilt fortune w/ a $5m trust originally left to her.Is there any other heirs still living that I am unaware of that hold claim to any remaining funds? Facebook. Vanderbilt died at age 82 on January 4, 1877, at his Manhattan home, and was buried in the Old Vanderbilt tomb at Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, Staten Island. (3). (21) Alfred G. Vanderbilt in conversation with the author, September 16, 2002. 40 5312.75"N 73 5236.34"W. The Belmont mausoleum is an almost exact full-scale replica of a famous building, the Chapel of Saint-Hubert in the Queens section of Chateau Amboise in Frances famed Loire Valley. Many users would be better served consulting an attorney than using a do-it-yourself online People might do so because a mausoleum doesnt only serve a practical purpose. Realizing that water would inevitably penetrate, Hunt provided a network of channels cut into the stone to facilitate drainage. 626 Grave Inside Mausoleum Stock Photos, Images & Pictures Most relevant Best selling Latest uploads Within Results People Pricing License Media Properties More Safe Search mausoleum Browse 626 professional grave inside mausoleum stock photos, images & pictures available royalty-free. Richmond County (Staten Island), George Washington Vanderbilt oversaw the building of the mausoleum after his fathers death in 1885. The water table in New Orleans soil is very high. The original mansion burned to the ground and was rebuilt in 1901 with the 110 room, graystone and red brick structure, designed by Richard Howland Hunt. (23). To use this feature, use a newer browser. (7) Peggy McDowell and Richard E. Meyer, The Revival Styles in American Memorial Art (Bowling Green State University Popular Press, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1994), pp. This makes burying the dead impractical. (14) Plaques at either end of the entrance loggia of the mausoleum list the names of those interred within. The builder of the mausoleum was William Henry Vanderbilt, the son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) who made a fortune in shipping before turning to railroads and founding the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. When building a private mausoleum, its important to work with a company that understands and exceeds the state-specific mausoleum construction standards. 3) on the periphery of the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, Staten Island, a circuitous drive-way leads uphill through an overgrown landscape. Whether or not you can actually go inside of a mausoleum depends on what type of mausoleum you wish to visit. For half a century, the mausoleum was used as intended, with the Olmsted firm maintaining the grounds and guards keeping the curious at bay. What might you find inside of a mausoleum? Appropriately for the founder of the family fortune, the Commodores body is interred in the bay under the carving of the Creation. Resend Activation Email. This ensures theyre protected from the elements, vandals, and anything else that might endanger them. If youve ever wondered. Accept. 23-24. He says that it deserves to be studied, for it captures a certain moment in American architectural history. (1) New York Times, December 9, 1885, p. 1. All rights reserved. 5). January 17, 1853 January 26, 1933 We'll help you get your affairs in order and make sure nothing is left out. These features once again highlight how mausoleums serve as both monuments and storage spaces. Todays mausoleums often play the same role. [2], She married firstly sportsman Samuel Stevens Sands II (18561889),[18] the son of Samuel Stevens Sands (1827-1892), the head of S.S. Sands Co.[19] Before his death from a fall during a hunt at Meadow Brook, she had two sons by Sands:[20]. She may have switched husbands but she knew a good architectural firm when she found one. Or, maybe you simply have an interest in the various ways we bury and store the dead. A system error has occurred. The type of casket and the way in which its sealed can also cause decomposition to occur more slowly than it would if a body was buried. Additionally, various news reports on funeral practices indicate that storing bodies in mausoleums has become more popular once again. That means those who purchase or commission them will usually choose an architectural style that properly honors the memory of a lost loved one. Hill. The landscaped grounds around the Vanderbilt mausoleum were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Rare black marble ceiling at the grave of Bibipari in the mausoleum of Bibipari in Lalbagh fort in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was the father of Consuelo Vanderbilt, William Kissam Vanderbilt II, and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt. [9] The estate was around 125 acres and had a home commissioned by her late husband and designed by John R. | Architectural drawing shows a mausoleum faade as elevation rendering. RUTHERFURD TO BE MRS. C. HATCH | Mrs. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. The types of funerary art youd find inside of a mausoleum can range widely. These items may also qualify as funerary art. [10] Before her move, along with Elizabeth Marbury, Anne Morgan,[11] her sister, Emeline Harriman Olin, second wife of Stephen Henry Olin, the neighborhood was known as a squalid place. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BiltmoreEstate/, please join us where we talk about all the Vs. If youve always wanted to know whats inside (and outside) of a mausoleum, keep reading! based on information from your browser. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Win. 3) on the periphery of the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, Staten Island, a circuitous drive-way leads uphill through an overgrown landscape. But according to rumours, the deceased family members inside are not in fact buried at all; rather, they are propped up like statues . Steps taken to combat the latter, including bricking up the windows in the cupolas and placing steel plates in front of the entrance gates, changed the appearance and compromised the ventilation system. The European influence is obvious but Hunt made the building his own. Prial also remarked that although, the tomb looks like a simple building it is not. [7], In 1916, she hosted a fundraiser for the war sufferers of Venice. This type of vault is more common in private mausoleums. The main body of the tomb was set into the hillside and covered with earth thereby using the heat of the earth to keep the building from freezing. 121-123 and 143. Additionally, if a family chooses to store an urn in a columbarium, they might place small keepsakes and similar items inside these columbariums along with the urns. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. (1) He was described in one obituary as quick as a flash and hard to hoodwink. (2) Seeking an appropriate resting place for himself, his wife, and their eight children, William Henry turned to Richard Morris Hunt, the architect who had designed houses in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, for two of his sons. (8), William Henry Vanderbilt originally intended to place his mausoleum within the Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island, where many of his forebears were buried. Popular questions about mausoleums include the following: In many parts of the world, it remains more popular to bury bodies than to store them in mausoleums. (15), As the Vanderbilt fortune was diluted through successive, heavily taxed, generations (there are today upward of seven hundred living descendants of the Commodore), the mausoleum ceased to be a priority for the family. (6) Paul R. Baker, Richard Morris Hunt (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1980), pp. Instead, he modeled the land as though it were a piece of sculpture. As the CEO of Forever Legacy, and the foremost provider of private mausoleums in the country, I insist that service and quality are provided to every family. At one time the doors were iron gates, but in 1969 a woman pulled on the gates trying to get inside the tomb and the gates fell on her and killed her.