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Green-Wood Cemetery

A Dog’s Tale: Dachshunds, Hot Dogs, Coney Island & Greenwood Cemetery

January 31, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp 2 Comments

The Feltman mausoleumExploding urban populations during the nineteenth century demanded new solutions towards burying the dead. Traditional congregational graveyards were either full or overcrowded. A combination of practical thinking and the wish to commune with nature (inspired by Romantic poetry) led to the development of serene burial grounds outside the city boundaries.

Founded as a “rural” or “garden” cemetery in 1838, Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery is famous for its picturesque landscape features with evocative names such as Camellia Path, Halcyon Lake, Oaken Bluff, or Vista Hill. Elaborate monuments and mausoleums, designed in an array of architectural styles, honor the Lispenard dynasty (Norman), William Niblo (Gothic), the Steinway family (Classical), and others.

And then there is the Feltman mausoleum, the columns of which feature Corinthian capitals. On each side of the doorway stands a trio of mourning figures. Those on the left hold symbols of faith (cross and doves); those on the right show grief and sorrow. The pediment features two cherubs holding a wreath with the initial F in the center. On top of the temple is a cupola with the Archangel Michael standing guard, sword at the ready. The building serves to celebrate the memory of just one man. Who was this person? A Founding Father maybe? A respected politician (if that is not a contradiction in terms)? A celebrated artist? [Read more…] about A Dog’s Tale: Dachshunds, Hot Dogs, Coney Island & Greenwood Cemetery

Filed Under: Food, History, New York City Tagged With: American Kennel Club, Brooklyn, Cemeteries, Coney Island, Culinary History, dogs, FDR, Food, German-American History, Green-Wood Cemetery, Immigration, Manhattan, World War One, World War Two

Green-Wood Cemetery’s Historic Chapel Wins Preservation Award

November 21, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Green-Wood’s historic chapel seen from the northwest after restoration courtesy Walter B. Melvin ArchitectsGreen-Wood Cemetery’s Historic Chapel has won a 2021 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS.

The Historic Chapel, located just down the hill from the Cemetery’s main entrance in Brooklyn, is an icon of Green-Wood’s landscape. Designed in 1911 by the architectural firm of Warren & Wetmore, the Neo-Gothic design features 41 carved window openings, filled with figurative stained glass. [Read more…] about Green-Wood Cemetery’s Historic Chapel Wins Preservation Award

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Architecture, Brooklyn, Cemeteries, Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Preservation, New York City, Preservation League of New York State

Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration Planned August 26-27

August 17, 2017 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Green-Wood Historic Fund is commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn with a weekend of events on Saturday and Sunday, August 26-27, 2017.

Fought on August 27, 1776 across Brooklyn, including land that is now part of Green-Wood Cemetery, it was the first battle of the American Revolution to be waged after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In terms of the total number of British and American troops poised and ready to fight, this was the largest battle of the Revolution. [Read more…] about Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration Planned August 26-27

Filed Under: Events, History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, AmRev, Battle of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Green-Wood Cemetery

Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery Landmarks Get Makeover

May 9, 2017 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Miller Mausoleum The corporate team Kärcher, that cleaned Mt. Rushmore, the Seattle Space Needle and The London Eye, recently visited to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn to give some of its famous monuments and mausoleums a special makeover.

Using cutting-edge and eco-friendly technology, cultural restoration expert Thorsten Moewes, of Kärcher, a manufacturer of cleaning equipment, removed centuries of dirt and grime from three Green-Wood landmarks free of charge: the Niblo Mausoleum (1851), the Miller Mausoleum (ca. 1870) and the Charlotte Canda Memorial (1845). Following the cleaning, a HDS 13/20 hot water pressure washer was donated to Green-Wood. [Read more…] about Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery Landmarks Get Makeover

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Brooklyn, Cemeteries, Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Preservation

Brooklyn Cemetery Puts WWI Biographies Online

April 27, 2017 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

green-wood cemeteryTo mark the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I, Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery has unveiled biographies of more than 160 men and women, military and civilian, who served in the war to end all wars and who now are interred in the National Historic Landmark designated cemetery.

More than a year in the making, Green-Wood’s WWI Project covers the men and women who served in that conflict as pilots, nurses, infantryman, gunners, pay clerks, intelligence officers, logistics specialists, and others. The biographies were researched by a group of volunteers under the guidance of Green-Wood historian Jeff Richman. [Read more…] about Brooklyn Cemetery Puts WWI Biographies Online

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Brooklyn, Cemeteries, Genealogy, Green-Wood Cemetery, milhist, WW1

Battle Of Brooklyn: Rare Revolutionary War Map Being Unveiled

August 20, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Battle of Brooklyn MapA one-of-a-kind Revolutionary War map used in battle by Lieutenant-General Hugh Percy, a British division commander at the Battle of Brooklyn, will be unveiled at Green-Wood Cemetery on Sunday, August 24, at the Green-Wood Historic Fund’s annual commemoration of the Battle of Brooklyn.  Following its unveiling at Green-Wood Cemetery, General Percy’s Map will travel to the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) on August 27, where it will be exhibited through February 2015.

The Battle of Brooklyn, waged on August 27, 1776, was fought across Brooklyn and on land that is now part of Green-Wood.  It was the first battle of the American Revolution fought after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. [Read more…] about Battle Of Brooklyn: Rare Revolutionary War Map Being Unveiled

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: American Revolution, Battle of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Historical Society, Green-Wood Cemetery, Maps, Military History, New York City

NYC’s Green-Wood Cemetery To Mark 175th Anniversary

May 2, 2013 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

556174_502184239813956_1305110578_nWhat do artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, toy merchant Frederick A.O. Schwarz and political powerhouse William Magear “Boss” Tweed have in common?

They’re all buried in Brooklyn’s Historic Green-Wood Cemetery along with abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, musician Leonard Bernstein, industrialist Peter Cooper, composer Fred Ebb, piano manufacturer Henry Steinway, decorative master Louis Comfort Tiffany – and roughly 560,000 others – many equally famous (some infamous) and hailing from the worlds of sports, the arts, entertainment, politics, the military and industry. [Read more…] about NYC’s Green-Wood Cemetery To Mark 175th Anniversary

Filed Under: Events, New Exhibits Tagged With: Art History, Cultural History, Gardens - Landscape Architecture, Green-Wood Cemetery, Museum of the City of New York, New York City

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