Last updated: June 11, 2024
Place
Saint John's Memorial Cemetery
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Cemetery
MANAGED BY:
When Frederick Law Olmsted was just becoming a landscape architect, unless you were a wealthy landowner, your only option for open green space were cemeteries. Because of this, many cemetery designs began to emulate a park-like setting.
In the early 1900s, brothers William and Henry DeForest purchased 10 acres of land in the hopes to create their own cemetery in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. The land of their proposed cemetery sat right next to St. John's Church, which already operated its own burial grounds. Both DeForest brothers wanted St. Johns to administer their property but still have it in their name, which St. Johns refused.
In the end, the DeForest brothers sold 7 acres back to St. Johns, keeping the remainder for personal use. After already hiring Olmsted Brothers to design each of their estates, the DeForest brothers again reached out to Olmsted Brothers.
While the Olmsted Brothers were hired to design the DeForest brothers’ 3-acre plot, St. Johns realized that the esteemed landscape architecture firm was already in the area, so why not retain them to design their 7 acres of land.
In the end, Olmsted Brothers continued working on new sections of the cemetery from 1918 to 1958. While these new layouts were much smaller and less park-like compared to the original designs of 1918, some prominent plot owners did like to go over the top with their design.
Source: "Memorial Cemetery of St. John's Church," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
In the early 1900s, brothers William and Henry DeForest purchased 10 acres of land in the hopes to create their own cemetery in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. The land of their proposed cemetery sat right next to St. John's Church, which already operated its own burial grounds. Both DeForest brothers wanted St. Johns to administer their property but still have it in their name, which St. Johns refused.
In the end, the DeForest brothers sold 7 acres back to St. Johns, keeping the remainder for personal use. After already hiring Olmsted Brothers to design each of their estates, the DeForest brothers again reached out to Olmsted Brothers.
While the Olmsted Brothers were hired to design the DeForest brothers’ 3-acre plot, St. Johns realized that the esteemed landscape architecture firm was already in the area, so why not retain them to design their 7 acres of land.
In the end, Olmsted Brothers continued working on new sections of the cemetery from 1918 to 1958. While these new layouts were much smaller and less park-like compared to the original designs of 1918, some prominent plot owners did like to go over the top with their design.
Source: "Memorial Cemetery of St. John's Church," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr