Places of Interest

In addition to its natural beauties, Crown Hill has many manmade wonders to behold. The historic structures stand tall as breathtaking works of art. These monuments are truly awe-inspiring. They not only serve as architectural feats to appreciate, but they’re also available for public and private events including lectures, tours, funerals, memorial services, weddings, concerts and dinners.

Extensive List for Places of Interest

Featured Places of Interest

  • Community Mausoleum

    To make mausoleum entombment available to families for whom the expense of a private facility would be prohibitive, Crown Hill commissioned the architectural firm of D.A. Bolen and Son to design a community-wide resource. Built on the cemetery’s North Grounds and dedicated in 1951, the Crown Hill Mausoleum took two-and-a-half years to build.

  • Gothic Chapel

    In 1875, German architect Diedrich A. Bolen designed an impressive limestone Gothic Vault, today known as the Gothic Chapel. Originally a temporary storage vault for those awaiting burial, it contained 96 crypts in the side rooms off the central part of the chapel.

  • Gothic Gate and Waiting Station

    Crown Hill Cemetery’s original mail entrance stood on what is now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. Built by John Pattison at a cost of $2,300, it consisted of a main central gate flanked by two narrower gates.

  • National Cemeteries at Crown Hill

    Crown Hill National Cemetery is a result of the American Civil War. The Indianapolis City Cemetery, Greenlawn, was filling up, thus prompting the need for a new cemetery.

  • Perimeter Fence

    Crown Hill’s original fence was built of wood. Dr. John M. Kitchen, one of the founding members of the cemetery’s governing Board of Corporators, ventured to Tennessee to select the timber for its construction. While the fence was durable, it was more serviceable then decorative.

  • Private Family Mausoleums

    Beginning with the construction of the Caleb Blood Smith private family mausoleum in 1864, there have been 88 of these beautiful structures erected at Crown Hill. The most recent one was completed in 2023.

  • The Subway / Underpass

    Crown Hill started to expand onto the north side of Maple Road (now 38th Street) before the end of the 19th century. The construction of the Subway began in 1925.