New York City Marble Cemetery

[Edward]

New York City Marble Cemetery (http://www.wirednewyork.com/manhattan/marble_cemetery/). 9 October 2005.

http://www.wirednewyork.com/manhattan/marble_cemetery/new_york_city_marble_cemetery.jpg (http://www.wirednewyork.com/manhattan/marble_cemetery/)



http://www.wirednewyork.com/manhattan/marble_cemetery/new_york_marble_cemetery.jpg (http://www.wirednewyork.com/manhattan/marble_cemetery/)

[Edward]

Press Release and Listing Information





For Immediate Release: Run until: July 8, 2006





Photos Available upon request





If you would like more information


info@nycmc.org


[212] 228 6401








175th Anniversary Celebration





We invite you to join us for a celebration of the founding of the cemetery and a commemoration of the inaugural interment, the largest event the city had ever seen,


The 1831 Funeral of President James Monroe


As the funeral cortege entered the cemetery on Second Street the rear of the procession had yet to leave City Hall and one hundred thousand mourners were lining the route.





Speakers





John N. Pearce,


Director of the Monroe Memorial Library & Museum www.umw.edu/jamesmonroemuseum/ (http://www.umw.edu/jamesmonroemuseum/)





Hendrik Booraem V,


Cemetery historian and presidential biographer http://hendrikbooraemv.com/ (http://hendrikbooraemv.com/)





and a musical tribute and wreath laying ceremony





Date & Time


Saturday July 8, 2006 at 3 p.m.





Location


52-74 East Second Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)





Cost


Free, donations welcome.





Nearest Subway


F train to Second Avenue


6 train to Bleeker Street/Broadway-Lafayette





Wheelchair accessible





More information: www.nycmc.org (http://www.nycmc.org/)


(http://www.nycmc.org/)

[Edward]

Open House NY 2007

New York City Marble Cemetery, The (http://www.nycmc.org/)
52-74 E 2nd St/ First Ave
neighborhood: East Village
Sat: 6 Oct 2007, 11am-5pm
Sun: 7 Oct 2007, 11am-5pm
Continuous open access, first come basis, lining up if necessary
building date: 1831
architect: Perkins Nichols

NYC’s second-oldest non-sectarian burial ground contains 258 underground marble vaults and funeral scenes of distinguished citizens such as President James Monroe.

[Front_Porch]

we went in 2005 -- the cemetery is no "Green-Wood" but it's kind of interesting -- they are looking to raise awareness and funds for upkeep, I think.

ali r.
[downtown broker]

[Merry]

The Cemetery Down The Alley

Nick Carr


I must have walked past the entrance to Marble Cemetery (http://www.marblecemetery.org/) on Second Ave (btw. 2nd & 3rd Sts.) countless times before I first noticed its existence (and I'm guessing I'm not the only one).



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3567/4088683654_6e65d732ff.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4088683654/)


Sandwiched between two buildings is this iron gate (technically 41 1/2 Second Ave), which is locked 99% of the year. Even if you notice the sign, you can only barely make out the cemetery down the long alley.



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/4087925607_01db7f8e8d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4087925607/)


Marble Cemetery is New York's oldest non-sectarian cemetery, founded in 1831 (not to be confused with the other Marble Cemetery around the corner - I'll do a post on that one soon). Its first burial was for the child of one Dr. Post who died in 1830, and its 2,000th and final was for Charlie VanZandt in 1937. Many were for children below the age of 6.



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2516/4088684738_55b766fdbd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4088684738/)


From April to October, the cemetery is usually open (http://www.marblecemetery.org/directions/map.htm) on Sundays for a few hours in the afternoon (access is available year round to those that make an appointment - check out their website (http://www.marblecemetery.org/) for more details). The final visiting day of 2009 was on October 25, and having been meaning to check it out for years, I finally went down to see it. I was pretty excited to see the front gate actually unlocked and wide open, and to be able to walk down the alley...



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2780/4087924131_aa01f1db3c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4087924131/)


Unfortunately, the cemetery was closed for a film shoot (stupid New York film productions...).



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4087921711_63218cbe3f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4087921711/)


Luckily, you don't have to go too far into the cemetery to take it in. Marble Cemetery consists of 156 underground vaults set 10 feet underground, each the size of a small room. Why vaults and no coffin burials? At the time of its incorporation, legislation had been passed in the city that outlawed earth graves due to fears of yellow fever outbreaks (the vault system was thought to prevent this). Check out this floor plan (http://www.marblecemetery.org/Drawings/FloorPlan.htm) and cross-section (http://www.marblecemetery.org/Drawings/CrossSec.htm) to see how the vaults are arranged.



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2627/4088681434_6369446c5d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4088681434/)


Each vault has a removable stone slab set a few feet below the lawn covering adjoining vault doors. Once uncovered, a key is needed to open a vault door. The one below is for Vault 113 (pictures from the Marble Cemetery site/Ruth Ward (http://www.marblecemetery.org/)).



http://www.marblecemetery.org/tour/Tour_door.jpg (http://www.marblecemetery.org/tour/Tour_door.jpg)http://www.marblecemetery.org/tour/Tour_Key1a.JPG (http://www.marblecemetery.org/tour/Tour_Key1a.JPG)


There are no headstones (the few in the first picture are movie props). Instead, marble tablets on the stone walls denote nearby burials. The southern wall of the cemetery is below.



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4088682336_aa4a4d0b20.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4088682336/)


Note the "Warning Falling Rocks" sign. Unfortunately, the walls have seriously deteriorated and are in need extensive repairs (the entire west wall is gone, and large portions are missing from the north). According to the website, plans are in place to do this in stages, though I'm pretty sure donations are much appreciated.



Below, the northern wall. The Tuckahoe marble used in the tablets (also found in Brooklyn Borough Hall, St. Patrick's, the US Capitol) is soft and weathers badly. Check out this list (http://www.marblecemetery.org/tablets.htm) of plaque names for evidence of how many have become illegible.



http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/4087927967_f59c513e8c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/32277674@N08/4087927967/)


In the south-west corner once stood the so-called Dead House (http://www.marblecemetery.org/Drawings/DeadHouse.htm), a small structure used for the temporary holding of remains. The Dead House was positioned over Marble Cemetery developer Perkins Nichols' own vault, and his tablet was set into its facade. The Dead House was torn down in 1955 (photo from MarbleCemetery.org (http://www.marblecemetery.org/)).



http://www.marblecemetery.org/Drawings/Dead%20House%20s.jpg (http://www.marblecemetery.org/Drawings/Dead%20House%20s.jpg)


I love Manhattan cemeteries, in part because of how annoyed they must make developers. I find the idea of multi-million dollar plots of land being permanently dedicated for the rotting remains of long dead New Yorkers to be completely mind-boggling in one sense and very satisfying in another. Thankfully, they're all landmarked, and we can enjoy them as both historical relics and outdoor public spaces for years to come.


(http://www.scoutingny.com/)

PS - For those looking for a shooting location, Marble Cemetery is very open to productions. Contact them through their website (http://www.marblecemetery.org/). Also, for anyone looking for a New York alley and coming up short, the Marble Cemetery entrance could easily stand in if you can cheat out the iron gate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-carr/the-cemetery-down-the-all_b_350764.html