The other week I finally got the chance to take a tour of the historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
The "Gothic Gates" of Green-Wood were designed by Richard Upjohn and built in the early 1860s.
Green-Wood was founded back in 1838, and is now designated as a National Historic Landmark. It's known for the impressive array of sculptural mausoleums and tombstones erected there by the elite residents of Victorian New York.
I was pretty blown away by the Mackay Mausoleum, built by a family who made a fortune in silver with the Comstock Lode:
The Mackay Mausoleum, built in 1898 for $250,000.
This mausoleum is way nicer than most modern-day New Yorker's apartments, and is equipped with electric lights and running water because when you are as rich as the Mackays your ghost expects to be kept comfortable.
Anyhow, the ghost I was really looking forward to visiting was that of Louis Comfort Tiffany, who was interred at Green-Wood in 1933. Louis Comfort, of course, is one of the most famous American jewelry designers to-date, remembered for his stunning Art Nouveau jewels and stained glass.
This Opal brooch by Louis C. Tiffany sold at Sotheby's for just over $14,000 in 2013.
I was expecting Tiffany's final resting place to reflect the aesthetics of his art--after all, he did create stained glass pieces for the mausoleums of several clients:
Magnolias and Irises was designed by Louis c. Tiffany c. 1910 and originally installed in the Frank family mausoleum. Now it lives at The Met.
But, much to my surprise, Mr. Tiffany chose a plain granite maker with sans serif font as his final monument:
According to our guide, Tiffany felt that nature itself provided all the beauty that was needed.