Rose Hills Memorial Park

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Rose Hills Memorial Park is a large cemetery located just outside the city limits of Whittier, California. It is not only considered to be the largest memorial park in the United States, but also considered to be the largest and most beautiful memorial park in the world.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] History

Rose Hills began in 1914 as a small cemetery, consisting of 18 acres. At that time, Rose Hills served as the local burial grounds for Whittier. Not long after the park's founding, cemetery management realized that more land was needed and purchased an additional 100 acres. However, the community the cemetery served was growing so rapidly that the additional acreage was not adequate to meet the needs of the densely populated Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

In 1928, the management launched an expansion program designed to increase the size of the cemetery through a series of land acquisitions. The program, continuing into the 1950s, increased Rose Hills' land holdings to its present size of approximately 2,500 acres.

Much of the land purchased for the program consisted of rugged hillsides, steep cliffs, and deep canyons. In order to utilize what was considered worthless property, the management of Rose Hills launched one the of the largest private land redevelopment projects ever undertaken.

To reshape the terrain into gently sloping hillsides, which today serves as beautiful spacious lawns, approximately 25 million cubic yards of earth had to be moved and contoured. By the time the land conversion project was completed, Rose Hills redesigned an amount of earth about one-sixth the size of the Panama Canal.

[edit] Development of mausoleums and chapels

In 1917, a small indoor mausoleum, the second public structure of its kind in California, was opened on the cemetery grounds. In 1929, construction began on the first phase of the beautiful mausoleum known as El Portal de la Paz (Doorway to Peace).

Four garden mausoleums (Terrace of Memories, Court of Eternal Light, Mausoleum of the Valley, and Lakeview Mausoleum) were later built on the park grounds. Four beautiful chapels, Rainbow Chapel, Hillside Chapel, Memorial Chapel, and SkyRose Chapel were also built within the secluded confines of Rose Hills.

In 1942, Rose Hills completed the installation of its crematorium, and in 1956 Rose Hills Mortuary and Flower Shop were opened, making Rose Hills one of the first cemeteries in the country to offer all the necessary services and facilities for memorialization at one convenient location.

In keeping up with the needs of an ever-changing community, Rose Hills continues to develop its land in order to better serve a growing and changing population.

[edit] Popularity

In Southern California, Rose Hills is the location of choice for those who adhere to the principles of Feng Shui.[citation needed] While the park, overall, is renowned for its Feng Shui, many individual lawns possess complementary attributes.

Known for its natural beauty and tranquil park-like setting, Rose Hills offers a wide selection of burial property. Most lawns reflect the tastes of the surrounding communities while others feature designs preferential to specific ethnic, religious, and fraternal organizations.[citation needed]

[edit] Sites

[edit] Mausoleums

  • Whittier Heights Mausoleum: Built in 1917, is considered to be the second public mausoleum built in California and portrays a sense of early California architecture with its Spanish Renaissance influence.
  • El Portal de la Paz (Doorway of Peace): Dedicated in 1930 as part of the initial expansion program at the cemetery. Complete with an enclosed outdoor garden and fountain, Rose Hills' second mausoleum reflects California's early Spanish Mission era.
  • The Buddhist Columbarium: Built in 1999, located on 2.5 acres at the highest elevation of Rose Hills, the largest Buddhist pagoda in the United States is surrounded by the picturesque scenery of rolling hills and meandering valleys. The grand three-story structure is supported by crimson pillars and golden glazed tiles replicating the architecture of ancient Chinese palaces. The pagoda is associated with Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple.

[edit] Chapels

  • Rainbow Chapel: Built in 1942, it is an outstanding example of early California Mission architecture. This chapel features large windows overlooking lovely secluded gardens. Rainbow Chapel seats up to 94 people.
  • Hillside Chapel: Built in 1956, it is a contemporary diamond-shaped structure surrounded by an attractive garden area. The interior was created for an inspiring effect of a continuing sunrise through its rose-tinted skylight and 22-foot-high windows. Hillside Chapel seats up to 200 people.
  • Memorial Chapel: One of the easily recognizable with its three tall, white spires rising into the sky. Situated on one of Rose Hills' gentle rolling hillsides, this chapel was completed in 1964 as a memorial to John D. Gregg (president of Rose Hills from 1950 - 1959). Memorial Chapel seats approximately seats 225 people.
  • SkyRose Chapel: Centrally located inside Rose Hills Memorial Park on a prominent hilltop site that has a commanding view of the San Gabriel Valley and the Los Angeles Skylines to the West and the serene Sycamore Valley to the East. Skyrose Chapel seats up to 350 people.

[edit] List of notable people buried in Rose Hills

(Note that this is a very partial list.)

[edit] External links

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