Places of Interest Archive | Crown Hill Foundation

NAME	Information
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. Read More!
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. Read More!
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. It was opened on July 30, 1864, replaced in 1900, and razed in 1901. Its replacement, which stood at the southwest corner of the cemetery, featured a Bedford limestone archway designed by Indianapolis architect Herbert Foltz. This entrance was closed in 1965 and demolished the following year. Read More!
National Cemeteries at Crown Hill	On July 17, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the bill to create fourteen national cemeteries, “for the soldiers who shall die in the service of the country.” These national cemeteries were administered by the Department of the Army until 1973, when the responsibility was transferred to the Veterans Administration. Indiana Governor Oliver Perry Morton, called “the soldier’s friend,” by letter dated May 24, 1866, proposed moving several hundred soldiers currently buried at Greenlawn, the old city cemetery. Governor Morton’s reasons for the removal were that the graves were close together and marked with temporary wooden crosses. Later that same year, on August 27, the federal government purchased 1.37 acres at Crown Hill Cemetery for $5,000.00, for the purpose of burying Civil War soldiers.
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. Read More!
Private Family Mausoleums	Beginning with the construction of the Caleb Blood Smith private family mausoleum in 1864. Read More!
Service Yard, Barns, and Workshops	Built of brick and stone, the Service Yard, Barns and Workshops continue to function as working spaces, their appearance all but unchanged over time. The Indianapolis engineering firm Latham and Walters constructed these facilities in the early 1920s. Along with general-purpose working areas, they housed the Crown Hill workhorses and provided space for a blacksmith's shop.
The Administration Building	Crown Hill Cemetery has had four administrative office buildings since its dedication in 1864.
The Gothic Chapel Organ	The Gothic Chapel Organ is a gift from Crown Hill Foundation board member Marianne Williams Tobias — a mover and shaker in the city’s classical music scene. Read More!
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. Read More!