You might miss the entrance to Memorial Park Cemetery since its entrance is just a few yards away from the exit from Interstate 70 onto northbound Lucas and Hunt Road.

Newspapers announced the formation of the association and purchase of one hundred acres in 1919. Joyce Engineering was in charge of surveying and platting the lots for the cemetery. Tom P. Barnett, of the famous family and architecture firm, was hired to design the buildings. I was not aware that Barnett had designed any mortuary architecture before.

Interestingly, the first board members were mostly reverends, even though as far as I could tell, the cemetery was non-sectarian. The offices were located in downtown St. Louis in the Central National Bank Building, Seventh and Olive streets.

Even more interesting, the founders listed some of the most influential cemeteries (and several I’ve visited) as inspiration for Memorial Park, among them: Cave Hill in Louisville, Rose Hill in Chicago, Cypress Lawn in San Francisco, Greenwood in Brooklyn and Spring Grove in Cincinnati.

Also, the trustees announced the construction of a memorial for veterans, coming just in the aftermath of World War I, which I believe this tower functions as below.

I am not sure if Tom P. Barnett designed the tower, and I also wonder if there was a beacon light or flame in the top at one point.

The base features memorials for various wars, including the Spanish American War, which occurred two decades before the founding of the cemetery.

So then we get to the mausoleum or chapel below. While the newspaper articles of the time say that Tom P. Barnett designed it after King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. I have visited King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, and what was finally built does not look anything like it.

Regardless, a much simpler and more austere chapel was built instead of the more elaborate one proposed by Barnett.