Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum
Encyclopedia
The Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum is a tomb in Graceland Cemetery
, Chicago. It was designed by Chicago School architect Richard E. Schmidt as a family mausoleum for the Chicago
brewer Peter Schoenhofen.
was among the largest in Chicago
in 1880. Schoenhofen's family mausoleum
was designed by Richard E. Schmidt, a Chicago School
architect, in 1893, with construction beginning on July 1 of that year. The mausoleum is internationally famous and according to Matt Hucke and Ursula Bielski
's book Graveyards of Chicago the Schoenhofen Pyramid is one of the most photographed mausoleums at Graceland Cemetery
.
. The pyramid structure is set upon a square base. To the left of the entryway, is an angel
, on the right of the entry stands a sphinx
. The pyramid's design combines both Egyptian (the sphinx) and Christian (the angel) symbols. Regardless, the American Institute of Architects
' Chicago guide book called the angel "rather out-of-place". The door to the pyramid is styled after the gateways at Karnak
, in Egypt, and is 40 inches wide by 84 inches high. A bronze
molding of bundled reeds surrounds the door and the door's themselves feature cast lotus
designs with coiled asp
s around the handles.
While the Schoenhofen Mausoleum is a pyramid
, and referred to as such, its design is only Egyptian-inspired. The angel on the tomb base is clearly not Egyptian and even the sphinx merely takes its inspiration from Egyptian architecture. There are several historical works that are considered related to the Schoenhofen Mausoleum. The Roman funerary pyramid of Caius Cestius is considered a historical predecessor to the Schoenhofen Mausoleum. Perhaps more closely related are the pyramid by Louis Carrogis Carmontelle
at Parc Monceau
in Paris and a cenotaph
by Antonio Canova
that was erected as the tomb of Maria Christina
in Vienna
at the Augustinian Church.
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...
, Chicago. It was designed by Chicago School architect Richard E. Schmidt as a family mausoleum for the 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...
brewer Peter Schoenhofen.
History
Well-known Chicago brewer Peter Schoenhofen died in 1893; his Schoenhofen Brewing CompanySchoenhofen Brewery Historic District
The Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District is centered around the former site of the Peter Schoenhofen Brewing Company at 18th and Canalport Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois....
was among the largest 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...
in 1880. Schoenhofen's family 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...
was designed by Richard E. Schmidt, a Chicago School
Chicago school
Chicago school may refer to:* Chicago school * Chicago school * Chicago school * Chicago school * Chicago school * Chicago School of Professional Psychology...
architect, in 1893, with construction beginning on July 1 of that year. The mausoleum is internationally famous and according to Matt Hucke and Ursula Bielski
Ursula Bielski
Ursula Bielski is a recognized authority on the Chicago, Illinois region's ghostlore, historian, author, and parapsychology enthusiast Ursula Bielski has been writing and speaking about Chicago's supernatural history, folklore, and the paranormal for more than 16 years. Her interests in...
's book Graveyards of Chicago the Schoenhofen Pyramid is one of the most photographed mausoleums at 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...
.
Architecture
The Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum is a steep sided tomb designed, like many of the monuments at Chicago's Graceland Cemetery, in the Egyptian Revival style. The tomb is a family mausoleum constructed from gray graniteGranite
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...
. The pyramid structure is set upon a square base. To the left of the entryway, is an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
, on the right of the entry stands a sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
. The pyramid's design combines both Egyptian (the sphinx) and Christian (the angel) symbols. Regardless, the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
' Chicago guide book called the angel "rather out-of-place". The door to the pyramid is styled after the gateways at Karnak
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex—usually called Karnak—comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II . Sacred Lake is part of the site as well. It is located near Luxor, some...
, in Egypt, and is 40 inches wide by 84 inches high. A bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
molding of bundled reeds surrounds the door and the door's themselves feature cast lotus
Lotus
- Botany :*Lotus , various botanical taxa*Lotus *Lotus Flower, Nelumbo nucifera- Motor cars :*Lotus Cars, a British motor vehicle manufacturer**Team Lotus, a British Formula One racing team that competed between 1954 and 1994...
designs with coiled asp
Asp
Asp may refer to:Snakes:* Asp , an archaic term for a venomous snake.* Vipera aspis, a venomous viper found in Europe.* Cerastes cerastes, a venomous viper found in the Sahara desert....
s around the handles.
While the Schoenhofen Mausoleum is a pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
, and referred to as such, its design is only Egyptian-inspired. The angel on the tomb base is clearly not Egyptian and even the sphinx merely takes its inspiration from Egyptian architecture. There are several historical works that are considered related to the Schoenhofen Mausoleum. The Roman funerary pyramid of Caius Cestius is considered a historical predecessor to the Schoenhofen Mausoleum. Perhaps more closely related are the pyramid by Louis Carrogis Carmontelle
Louis Carrogis Carmontelle
Louis Carrogis Carmontelle was a French dramatist, painter, architect, set designer and author, and designer of one of the earliest examples of the French landscape garden, Parc Monceau in Paris...
at Parc Monceau
Parc Monceau
Parc Monceau is a semi-public park situated in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, at the junction of Boulevard de Courcelles, Rue de Prony and Rue Georges Berger. At the main entrance is a rotunda. The park covers an area of 8.2 hectares ....
in Paris and a cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
by Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova was an Italian sculptor from the Republic of Venice who became famous for his marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh...
that was erected as the tomb of Maria Christina
Maria Christina
Maria Christina may refer to:* Maria Christina of Austria , Queen Consort and then Regent of Spain, due to her marriage to Alfonso XII* Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies , Queen Consort of Piedmont-Sardinia...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
at the Augustinian Church.