Martin Ryerson Tomb
Encyclopedia
The Martin Ryerson Tomb is an Egyptian Revival style mausoleum designed by Louis Sullivan
and completed in 1889. It is in the historic Graceland Cemetery
in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
, in 1889. The Ryerson Tomb is in the Lakeside section of Chicago's Graceland Cemetery
, near the intersection of cemetery roads Main, Lake and Fairview Avenue.
and the mastaba
. The base of the tomb building is the slant-walled mastaba which features three windows. The mausoleum is constructed from large blocks of highly polished Quincy
granite
, and was inspired by Egyptian funerary tradition
s. The tomb's exterior contains no Egyptian symbols but has a door cutting directly through its center as well as an austere
fillet cornice
. The tomb's roof is topped with a tower which in turn is topped with a stepped pyramid. Uniquely, the tomb evokes Egyptian precedents through its dark, massive form, instead of the more typical reliance on Egyptian-style ornamentation. Inside the mausoleum is one of Sullivan's trademark arches, the arch frames a Sullivan-designed, but unsigned, bust of Ryerson. The Ryerson Mausoleum is one of three tombs that Louis Sullivan designed during his career. The Getty Tomb, completed one year after the 1889 Ryerson Tomb, is also located in Graceland Cemetery. The other Sullivan-designed tomb, the Wainwright Tomb
, is in St. Louis, Missouri
.
listing.
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
and completed in 1889. It is in the historic Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large Victorian era cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road...
in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
History
Martin Ryerson was a wealthy Chicago lumber baron and real estate speculator. He lived from 1818–1887 and during his lifetime he, and his son Martin Ryerson, Jr., commissioned several Chicago works by architect Louis H. Sullivan. The Ryerson Tomb was commissioned by Martin Ryerson, Jr. in 1887, and completed by Sullivan, lead designer at Adler & SullivanAdler & Sullivan
Adler & Sullivan was an architectural firm founded by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan. It is known for designing the Auditorium Building in Chicago and the Wainwright Building in St Louis...
, in 1889. The Ryerson Tomb is in the Lakeside section of Chicago's Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large Victorian era cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road...
, near the intersection of cemetery roads Main, Lake and Fairview Avenue.
Architecture
The Martin Ryerson Tomb was designed by acclaimed architect Louis H. Sullivan in an Egyptian Revival style. Sullivan's design melds two different types of Egyptian-style buildings, the pyramidEgyptian pyramids
The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found...
and the mastaba
Mastaba
A mastaba, or "pr-djt" , is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt's ancient period...
. The base of the tomb building is the slant-walled mastaba which features three windows. The mausoleum is constructed from large blocks of highly polished Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, and was inspired by Egyptian funerary tradition
Egyptian burial rituals and protocol
The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of burial customs that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death. These rituals and protocols included mummification, casting of magic spells, and burial with specific grave goods thought to be needed in the afterlife.The burial...
s. The tomb's exterior contains no Egyptian symbols but has a door cutting directly through its center as well as an austere
Austere
Austere is the first release by the band Sparta, just one year after break-up of their former band At the Drive-In.-Track listing:#"Mye" – 3:33#"Cataract" – 5:09#"Vacant Skies" – 3:32#"Echodyne Harmonic " – 3:50-Personnel:...
fillet cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. The tomb's roof is topped with a tower which in turn is topped with a stepped pyramid. Uniquely, the tomb evokes Egyptian precedents through its dark, massive form, instead of the more typical reliance on Egyptian-style ornamentation. Inside the mausoleum is one of Sullivan's trademark arches, the arch frames a Sullivan-designed, but unsigned, bust of Ryerson. The Ryerson Mausoleum is one of three tombs that Louis Sullivan designed during his career. The Getty Tomb, completed one year after the 1889 Ryerson Tomb, is also located in Graceland Cemetery. The other Sullivan-designed tomb, the Wainwright Tomb
Wainwright Tomb
The Wainwright Tomb is a mausoleum located in Bellefontaine Cemetery at 4947 West Florissant Avenue north of the Walnut Park East neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Originally constructed for Charlotte Dickson Wainwright in 1892, the tomb now also contains the remains of her husband, Ellis...
, is in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Significance
The Ryerson Tomb is unique among Egyptian Revival tombs owing to its lack of overt, exterior Egyptian decoration. In a category all its own, the Ryerson Tomb is among the most important Egyptian Revival works in the United States. The Ryerson Tomb is a contributing member of the Graceland Cemetery National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
listing.