We went back up to Bellefontaine Cemetery to look at some old favorites in the late fall sun, starting with the Wainwright and Lemp mausolea.
Some mausolea, like the one below, are not Neoclassical, but more Romanesque Revival in character, with rusticated, hulking stone construction.
There’s a wealth of other stately tombs nearby, away from the row that faces Broadway.
This Egyptian Revival mausoleum above is a rarity, but certainly points to the renewed interest in Egypt after Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
We’ve always like the Westlake Mausoleum, with its open plan and giant sarcophagus lying within.
Boy – ya think this is where the movers and shakers from STL’s bygone ages are buried?
In all of the posts on various sites over the years, this is the first time I’ve seen the Westlake Mausoleum. Bigga bucks, from not only the construction but the land area; from what was the person’s/family’s fortune derived?
Thanks, Chris.
@ Tom, from the Bellefontaine Cemetery site: “James Louis Westlake (1871-1944) and Nellie Bell Westlake (1872-1951) are interred in this unique tomb. It is the only memorial in Bellefontaine where the sarcophagus is in an open tomb. Beautifully carved palm leaves are on each corner. Mr. Westlake organized Westlake Construction Company, General Contractors, in 1897.”
Further investigation yielded this write-up, from St. Louis, The Fourth City: https://books.google.com/books?id=fQI2AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA587&lpg=PA587&dq=james+louis+westlake&source=bl&ots=aUhnwRbiCe&sig=7qbgFzizFf9o8fn0PGGuImqas0w&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uOuHVMPyOoaxggTc0oKoDg&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=james%20louis%20westlake&f=false.
Seems like Westlake Construction was a pretty big-time construction outfit…
Of course – the Westlake Quarry which became the now-infamous West Lake Landfill was part of its empire! D’oh!
Thanks, Pete!
Some of Mr. Westlake’s buildings survive today, including the famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis (where the ducks parade) and the 8-story eastern section of the Stix Baer & Fuller (aka Grand Leader) department store building in downtown St. Louis.