Cemetery Design and Planning: Decorative Features
- Fountain feature at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, IL - Immaculate Heart of Mary Garden Crypt Complex
- Water feature at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, IL - Immaculate Heart of Mary Garden Crypt Complex
- Water feature, memorial bridge, and gazebo at All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, IL - Immaculate Heart of Mary Garden Crypt Complex
- Mosaic niches often sell at a high rate, and add beauty to any Garden Crypt Complex or Mausoleum
- Prominent features and beautiful artwork can often draw visitors into a cemetery, and help to serve as a visual landmark within the cemetery
- Statues, like this one depicting Jesus Christ at Ascension Cemetery in Libertyville, IL, can often help drive sales of surrounding crypts, niches, or burial plots.
- Mosaic niches at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Orland Park, IL
- A sculpture and fountain center an outdoor chapel at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Orland Park, IL
- A fountain centers a courtyard of tiered family estates, with a committal shelter in the background, at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City, CA
- Tiered gardens provide greenery and a sense of tranquility within the Court of the Matriarchs Garden Crypt Complex at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City, CA
- A single cross, sculptures, and scripture adorn an outdoor committal chapel at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip, IL
- Stained glass artwork helps beautify an outdoor chapel within the Mary Mother of Roses Garden at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles, IL
- Feature artwork of three crosses centers a columbarium wall and garden. When the sun is at the correct angle, the sunlight shines through the center of the middle cross, transmitting a cross of light onto the Garden Crypt Complex
- A feature sculpture within the Mary Mother of Roses Garden Crypt Complex at Maryhill Cemetery in Niles, IL
- Flag Assembly / Veteran's Memorial at Miramar National Cemetery, San Diego, CA
- A POW-MIA Memorial at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego, CA, serves as a reminder that there are still those out there who were never able to return home.
- A cross architectural feature and stained glass help demarcate the entrance to the Garden Crypt, Chapels, and Administration Complex, and also serve to beautify the cemetery while reinforcing St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery's Catholic tradition.
Description
Decorative features are often used in cemeteries to help reinforce the religious character of the cemetery, provide a place of reflection and/or solace, or to identify certain burial sections as belonging to a certain group, i.e. an ethnic monument/feature or a flag plaza to identify a Veterans' section.
Decorative features can include statues and sculptures, religious artwork such as mosaic niche fronts, stained glass, or murals, water features/fountains, reflection bridges, gazebos, carillon towers, flag pole plazas, benches or seating areas, floral gardens, and nature trails. These decorative features can often become a selling point for certain burial locations, and often burial locations close to a feature are able to sell for a higher price.
Project Examples
All Saints Cemetery
Ascension Cemetery
Good Shepherd Cemetery
Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Maryhill Cemetery
Miramar National Cemetery
St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery
Cemetery Elements & Project Types
Master Planning - Mausoleums & Garden Crypt Complexes - Cremation - Committal Shelters & Outdoor Chapels - Decorative Features - Administration Buildings - Maintenance Facilities - Funeral Homes & Crematories