Green-Wood Cemetery

Green-Wood Cemetery
source
Name	Green-Wood Cemetery
Established	1838
Location	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Coordinates	40, 39, 08, N...
Style	Rural cemetery
Size	478 acres (193 ha)
Owner	The Green-Wood Cemetery
Website	green-wood.com

Green-Wood Cemetery. Founded in 1838, this historic rural cemetery in Brooklyn was one of the first of its kind in the United States, predating and inspiring the creation of Central Park and Prospect Park. Its rolling hills, glacial ponds, and elaborate Victorian monuments quickly made it a premier destination for both permanent residents and 19th-century tourists, rivaling Niagara Falls in popularity. Today, it is a designated National Historic Landmark, an active arboretum, and a vital green space that intertwines natural beauty with the nation's artistic and political heritage.

History

The cemetery was incorporated by Henry Evelyn Pierrepont and others amidst a growing rural cemetery movement that sought to create picturesque, park-like burial grounds outside crowded city centers, a concept popularized by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Its opening in 1840 came during a period of rapid expansion for New York City, and it soon became a fashionable status symbol for New York's elite, including numerous Tammany Hall figures and Gilded Age industrialists. The Battle of Long Island, a significant engagement of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on its grounds in 1776, a fact commemorated by an altar monument erected by the cemetery. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it served as the final resting place for hundreds of thousands, from Civil War soldiers to victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, reflecting the broader social history of New York.

Geography and Layout

Spanning 478 acres, the cemetery's topography was shaped by the Wisconsin glaciation, resulting in a dramatic landscape of rolling hills, kettles, and ponds, including the prominent Sylvan Water. Its design, influenced by the principles of Andrew Jackson Downing and later work by Frederick Law Olmsted, features winding paths that follow the natural contours of the land, offering panoramic views of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The main entrance is marked by the imposing Brownstone Gothic Revival arches designed by Richard Upjohn, leading to a network of roads named for trees like Maple Avenue and Pine Avenue. This carefully curated environment supports a diverse ecosystem and an accredited arboretum with over 7,000 trees.

Notable Burials

The cemetery is renowned as the permanent home of a vast array of influential figures from American history and culture. Artistic luminaries include painter and inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, composer Leonard Bernstein, and pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk. Political and military leaders interred here range from Boss Tweed and DeWitt Clinton to Civil War generals like Henry Warner Slocum. Notable personalities from entertainment and literature include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lola Montez, and newspaper editor Horace Greeley. Other residents encompass baseball pioneer Henry Chadwick, chess champion Paul Morphy, and Elizabeth Tilton, central figure in the Beecher-Tilton scandal.

Architecture and Landmarks

The landscape is adorned with an extraordinary collection of funerary art and significant structures. The most iconic is the Battle of Long Island monument, a towering minaret designed by Minard Lafever. The cemetery's Chapel, another Gothic Revival masterpiece, was the last major work of architects Warren & Wetmore, designers of Grand Central Terminal. Myriad mausoleums and sculptures showcase styles from Egyptian Revival to Neoclassicism, with works by noted artists like John Quincy Adams Ward and Frederick MacMonnies. The Green-Wood Cemetery Catacombs, though not open to the public, represent a rare example of American underground burial vaults.

Cultural Significance

Beyond its funerary purpose, the cemetery has long been a cultural institution and public amenity. In the 19th century, it was a major tourist attraction, inspiring guidebooks and promoting the rural cemetery ideal that influenced the design of great urban parks like Central Park. Its status as a National Historic Landmark and a member of the American Battlefield Trust underscores its importance to American heritage. It hosts active educational, artistic, and conservation programs, including historical tours, concerts, and a notable effort to restore its population of Monk Parakeets. This blend of history, horticulture, and art continues to make it a unique and revered sanctuary within New York City.

Category:Cemeteries in New York City Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York City Category:1838 establishments in New York (state)