Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California)

Mountain View Cemetery

Millionaire's Row, Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California.
Details
Established 1863
Location Oakland, California
Country United States
Coordinates 37°50′07″N 122°14′13″W / 37.83528°N 122.23694°W / 37.83528; -122.23694Coordinates: 37°50′07″N 122°14′13″W / 37.83528°N 122.23694°W / 37.83528; -122.23694
Type Public
Size 226 acres (91 ha)
Number of graves > 24,000
Website Mountain View Cemetery web site
Find a Grave Mountain View Cemetery

The Mountain View Cemetery is a large 226-acre (91 ha) cemetery in Oakland, Alameda County, California. It was established in 1863 by a group of East Bay pioneers under the California Rural Cemetery Act of 1859. The association they formed still operates the cemetery today. Mountain View was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who also designed New York City's Central Park and much of UC Berkeley and Stanford University.

Many of California's important historical figures, drawn by Olmsted's reputation, are buried here, and there are so many grandiose crypts in tribute to the wealthy that one section is known as "Millionaires' Row." Because of this, and its beautiful setting, the cemetery is a tourist draw and docents lead semi-monthly tours.

Design

Panoramic view from the rear of the cemetery, looking out across the San Francisco Bay

Olmsted's intent was to create a space that would express a harmony between humankind and the natural setting. In the view of 19th century English and American romantics, park-like cemeteries, such as Mountain View, represented the peace of nature, to which humanity's soul returns. Olmsted, drawing upon the concepts of American Transcendentalism, integrated Parisian grand monuments and broad avenues.

Adjoining Mountain View Cemetery is Saint Mary Cemetery and the Chapel of the Chimes mausoleum and columbarium.

Mountain view cemetery location

Notable burials

View of the cemetery from Charles Crocker's Tomb

There are many notable people interred in Mountain View, many are local figures in California History, but others have achieved wider fame.[1]

Politicians and government officials

(D) California

Industrialists and business people

The statue above Domingo Ghirardelli's mausoleum.

Military

Thomas Hill's grave marker
The Miller Crypt pyramid.

Arts and Culture

Local History

Other

David Hewes burial vault

References

  1. Famous People at Mountain View Cemetery - Comprehensive List
  2. CWGC Casualty Record.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.