Columbarium of San Francisco
Encyclopedia
The Neptune Society Columbarium of San Francisco is a repository for human ashes
owned and operated by the Neptune Society of Northern California, at One Loraine Court, near Stanyan and Anza Streets, just north of Golden Gate Park
in San Francisco, California
. Built in 1898 by architect Bernard J.S. Cahill
, the copper-domed Columbarium is an example of Neo-Classical architecture. It is the only non-denominational burial place within San Francisco's city limits, with space available, that is open to the public.
In 1902 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
passed an ordinance to prohibit the sale of cemetery lots or permit any further burials within the city. By late 1910, cremation
was also prohibited. The Odd Fellows, forced to abandon their cemetery, established Green Lawn Cemetery in Colma. Transfer of bodies began in 1929 and many families also chose to remove their urns from the Columbarium. The crematorium and various mausoleum
s were demolished, and many of the headstones were used to build a seawall at Aquatic Park. Only the Columbarium remained.
After a time, the Columbarium was sold to the Bay Cities Cemetery Association and later to Cypress Abbey. As it passed from one organization to another it fell into disrepair. In 1980, the Neptune Society of Northern California bought it and began restoration.
In 1996, the building was added to the register of San Francisco Landmarks.
in Chicago
. The diameter, from the entrance to the stained glass window
opposite, is 64 feet (19.5 m). The width of the rotunda within the Inner circle is 29 feet (8.8 m) and the rotunda reaches a height of about 45 feet (13.7 m).
The eight rooms on the ground floor bear the names of the mythological winds
. Six of the ground floor rooms feature beautiful stained glass windows. The window in the Aquilo room depicting three angels in flight, is attributed equally to Louis Comfort Tiffany
or John LaFarge
. The first floor rooms are named after constellation
s. The second and third floors are simpler in design.
The ground floor contains approximately 2,400 niches, the first floor 2,500, and the second and third floors approximately 1,800 each, with an overall total of more than 8,500.
On the Columbarium tour, caretaker Emmitt Watson provides an oral history of the lives represented in the niches. Employed at the Columbarium since the Neptune Society acquisition, Watson has spent years becoming familiar with the niches and listening to visiting families' stories as he worked on the building's restoration. The personal anecdotes and intimate details Watson reveals about the "apartments" on his tour transforms the morbidity one might expect from a walk through a cemetery into a funny and often touching trip down memory lane.
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
owned and operated by the Neptune Society of Northern California, at One Loraine Court, near Stanyan and Anza Streets, just north of Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Built in 1898 by architect Bernard J.S. Cahill
Bernard J.S. Cahill
B.J.S. Cahill , cartographer and architect, was the inventor of the octahedral "Butterfly Map" ; an early proponent of the San Francisco Civic Center ; and designer of the Columbarium of San Francisco.His Butterfly World Map, like Buckminster Fuller's later Dymaxion Map of 1943 and 1954, enabled all...
, the copper-domed Columbarium is an example of Neo-Classical architecture. It is the only non-denominational burial place within San Francisco's city limits, with space available, that is open to the public.
History
The Columbarium was once part of the Odd Fellows Cemetery, which encompassed approximately 167 acre (67.6 ha). It was built to complement an existing crematorium designed by Cahill in 1895.In 1902 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
passed an ordinance to prohibit the sale of cemetery lots or permit any further burials within the city. By late 1910, cremation
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
was also prohibited. The Odd Fellows, forced to abandon their cemetery, established Green Lawn Cemetery in Colma. Transfer of bodies began in 1929 and many families also chose to remove their urns from the Columbarium. The crematorium and various mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
s were demolished, and many of the headstones were used to build a seawall at Aquatic Park. Only the Columbarium remained.
After a time, the Columbarium was sold to the Bay Cities Cemetery Association and later to Cypress Abbey. As it passed from one organization to another it fell into disrepair. In 1980, the Neptune Society of Northern California bought it and began restoration.
In 1996, the building was added to the register of San Francisco Landmarks.
Design
The Columbarium combines baroque and neoclassical features. Cahill was probably inspired by the Columbian Exposition of 1893World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The diameter, from the entrance to the stained glass window
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
opposite, is 64 feet (19.5 m). The width of the rotunda within the Inner circle is 29 feet (8.8 m) and the rotunda reaches a height of about 45 feet (13.7 m).
The eight rooms on the ground floor bear the names of the mythological winds
Anemoi
In Greek mythology, the Anemoi were Greek wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came , and were each associated with various seasons and weather conditions...
. Six of the ground floor rooms feature beautiful stained glass windows. The window in the Aquilo room depicting three angels in flight, is attributed equally to Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
or John LaFarge
John LaFarge
John La Farge was an American painter, muralist, stained glass window maker, decorator, and writer.-Biography:...
. The first floor rooms are named after constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s. The second and third floors are simpler in design.
The ground floor contains approximately 2,400 niches, the first floor 2,500, and the second and third floors approximately 1,800 each, with an overall total of more than 8,500.
Keeping memories alive
Many of the niches in the Columbarium contain pictures and personal memorabilia that provide uncanny insight into the lives of the those interred. Even the urns themselves often reflect the individual's personality. People have used cookie jars, teapots, brandy decanters and piggy banks to celebrate the memory of loved ones.On the Columbarium tour, caretaker Emmitt Watson provides an oral history of the lives represented in the niches. Employed at the Columbarium since the Neptune Society acquisition, Watson has spent years becoming familiar with the niches and listening to visiting families' stories as he worked on the building's restoration. The personal anecdotes and intimate details Watson reveals about the "apartments" on his tour transforms the morbidity one might expect from a walk through a cemetery into a funny and often touching trip down memory lane.
Notable interments
The Columbarium holds the remains and memorials of some of San Francisco's most prominent founding families, and celebrities:- George AinslieGeorge Ainslie (delegate)George Ainslie was a Congressional delegate from Idaho Territory.-Biography:...
(1838–1913) - Chet HelmsChet HelmsChester Leo "Chet" Helms , often called the father of San Francisco's "1967 Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties....
(1942–2005) - Frank E. HillFrank E. Hill (U.S. Army)Frank E. Hill served in the United States Army during the American Indian Wars. He received the Medal of Honor.Hill was born in Mayfield, Wisconsin. He died on March 20, 1906 in Manhattan, Nevada...
(1850–1872) - Harry August JansenHarry August JansenHarry August Jansen , was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and settled in the United States. He traveled the world as a professional magician under the name Dante the Magician.-Biography:...
(1883-1955) - Anna Elizabeth KlumpkeAnna Elizabeth KlumpkeAnna Elizabeth Klumpke , was American portrait and genre painter born in San Francisco, California, United States....
(1856–1942) - Dorothea KlumpkeDorothea KlumpkeDorothea Klumpke Roberts was an astronomer.-Biography:Her father, John Gerard Klumpke , was a German immigrant who had come to California in 1850 with the Gold Rush and had later become a successful realtor in San Francisco...
(1861-1942) - Harvey MilkHarvey MilkHarvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
(1930–1978) - Edward Robeson TaylorEdward Robeson TaylorEdward Robeson Taylor was the 28th Mayor of San Francisco serving from July 16, 1907 to January 7, 1910....
(1838–1923)