Ferncliff Cemetery
Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located on Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, about 25 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian. Ferncliff has three community mausoleums, a crematory, a small chapel, and a main office located in the rear of the main building.
Mausoleums
Ferncliff Cemetery is notable for its three community mausoleums.
Ferncliff
The Ferncliff Mausoleum, aka "The Cathedral of Memories", is the cemetery's oldest mausoleum, constructed in 1928. It has classic architecture, but the corridors are dark without glass panes to admit natural light. Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan, and Joan Crawford are three of the most famous interments in the main mausoleum.
Shrine of Memories
The Shrine of Memories is Ferncliff's second mausoleum and was constructed in 1959. "Shrine of Memories" is a more contemporary structure than "Ferncliff Mausoleum." It has many panes of glass to admit natural light, and there is a large frieze of Christopher Columbus in the main hall of the building. Basil Rathbone is one of the most famous interments in "Shrine of Memories."
Rosewood
Rosewood is Ferncliff's most recently completed community mausoleum, having been constructed in 1999. Aaliyah has a private room in Rosewood.
Cremations
It is interesting to note that Ferncliff Cemetery has the only crematory in Westchester County, New York, and performs approximately 10% of the cremations in New York State. Because of local ordinances, no additional crematories can be constructed in Westchester County. John Lennon, Jim Henson and Nelson Rockefeller are three notables who were cremated at Ferncliff.
Ground Burials
The cemetery is also known for its in-ground burials in sections located in front of the mausoleums. Ferncliff is one of the very few cemeteries that does not permit upright headstones in its outdoor plots. All outdoor grave markers are flush with the ground. This feature facilitates maintenance of the cemetery grounds. However, there are several upright headstones that were placed before this policy was instituted.
Notable interments, burials, cremations
- Frank Addyman (1884–1934) Former Mayor of Ardsley
- Paul Althouse (1889–1954) Singer
- Harry Archer (1886–1960) Composer
- Harold Arlen (1905–1986) Composer
- Tommy Armour (1895–1968) Hall of Fame Professional Golfer
- Leopold Auer (1845–1930) Violinist
- Albert Austin (1877–1953) U.S. Congressman - House of Rep. (CT)
- Arthur Baer (1886–1969) Journalist
- James Baldwin (1924–1987) Novelist, Essayist
- Richard Barthelmess (1895–1963) Actor
- Béla Bartók* (1881–1945) Composer, Pianist, Scholar (His remains were moved to Farkasreti Cemetery in Budapest, Hungary in 1988.)
- Charles A. Beard (1874–1948) Educator, Historian
- Mary Ritter Beard (1867–1958) Historian
- Sherman Billingsley (1900–1966) Restaurateur, owner of Stork Club
- Milton Biow (1892–1976) Advertising Entrepreneur
- Ray Bloch (1902–1982) Musician
- Ballington Booth (1857–1940) Social Reformer "Volunteers of America"
- Maud Booth (1865–1948) Co-founder of Volunteers of America
- Irène Bordoni (1895–1953) Actress, Singer
- Connee Boswell-Leedy (1907–1976) Singer
- Peaches Browning (1910–1956) Actress
- Adolph Caesar (1933–1986) Actor
- A. King Calder (1898–1964) Actor
- Northern Calloway (1950–1990) Actor, David on Sesame Street
- Salvatore Cardillo (1880–1947) Composer
- Hattie Carnegie (1856–1956) Dress Designer
- Thomas Carvel (1906–1990) Founder of Carvel Ice Cream
- Soong May-ling (1897–2003) First Lady of the Republic of China
- Mady Christians (1900–1951) Actress
- Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), Mafioso
- Alexander Cores (1900–1994) Violinist Dorian String Quartet
- Joan Crawford (1905–1977) Actress
- Myrtle Vail (1888–1978) Actress
- Lya De Putti (1899–1931) Actress
- Paolo de Vecchi (1847–1931) Italian American Philanthropist
- Jack Donahue (1888–1930) Actor
- O.L. Duke (1953–2004) Actor
- Emmanuel Feuermann (1902–1942) Cellist
- Donna Fick (Marge Vail) (1912–1914) Actress, Myrt & Marge Vail Radio Show
- Lew Fields (1867–1941) Actor, Comedian
- Michel Fokine (1880–1942) Choreographer
- Alan Freed* (1921–1965) Radio DJ, "The Father of Rock & Roll" (His ashes were moved to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002.)
- Anis Fuleihan (1900–1970) Noted Composer, Pianist & Conductor
- Betty Furness (1916–1994) Actress, Consumer Advocate, Commentator
- John J. Galgay (1917-1984) Bankruptcy Judge, Southern District, NY
- Judy Garland (1922–1969) Singer, Actress
- Maria Gay (1879-1943) Catalan opera singer
- Johnny Gunther (1929–1947) Son of John Gunther
- Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960) Composer
- Gordon Harris (1893–1958) Founder of Ferncliff Mausoleum
- Moss Hart (1904–1961) Playwright, Director
- Kitty Carlise Hart (1910–2007) Actress
- Aaliyah Dana Haughton (1979–2001) Singer, Actress, and Model
- Irene Hayes (1896–1975) Business woman who created Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe, a leading Manhattan florist and Gallagher's Steak House
- Helen Henderson (1897–1988) Showgirl
- Jim Henson** (1936–1990) Muppets Creator (He was cremated here and his ashes were scattered at his Santa Fe, New Mexico ranch.)
- Karen Horney (1885–1952) Psychiatrist
- Alberta Hunter (1895–1984) Singer, Songwriter
- Jerome Kern (1885–1945) Composer
- Wellington Koo (1888–1985) Diplomat, Statesman, Ambassador of Republic of China
- Dr. August G. Kohtio (1929–2000) Ophthalmologist, Professor
- Hsiang-Hsi Kung (1881–1967) Minister of Finance & Industry of Republic of China
- John Lennon** (1940–1980) Musician (He was cremated here and his ashes were given to Yoko Ono Lennon.)
- Marion Lorne (1883–1968) Actress
- Moms Mabley (1899–1975) Comedienne
- El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (1925–1965) Civil Rights Leader known as "Malcolm X", born Malcolm Little.
- Francis Mancuso (1887–1970) Supreme Court Judge (NY)
- Hugh Marlowe (1911–1982) Actor
- Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963) Society Leader
- Jam Master Jay (1965–2002) DJ
- Jeffrey Miller (1950–1970) victim of the Kent State shootings and subject of John Filo's iconic photo of the event
- Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973), economist and philosopher
- Ildiko Mohacsy (1918-2006) Physician and inventor
- Thelonious Monk (1917–1982) Musician
- Khalid Muhammed (1949–2001) Civil Rights Activist
- Ona Munson (1910–1955) Actress
- Nat Nakasa (1937–1965) South African Writer
- Dagmar Nordstrom (1903–1976), pianist, composer, one of The Nordstrom Sisters
- William Oberhardt (1882–1958) Artist, Portrait Painter, Illustrator, Sculptor
- William Passannante (1920–1996) State Assembly (NY)
- David M. Potts (1906–1976) U.S. Congressman, House of Rep. (NY)
- James Powell (1949–1964) Author
- Otto Rank (1884–1939) Psychiatrist
- Vincenzo Rao (1898-1988) Lucchese crime family mobster
- Basil Rathbone (1892–1967) Actor
- Charles Revson (1906–1975) Founder of Revlon Cosmetics
- Douglas Revson (1941–1967) Racecar Driver
- Peter Revson (1939–1974) Racecar Driver
- Paul Robeson (1898–1976) Actor, Singer, Civil Rights Activist
- Nelson Rockefeller** (1908–1979) Governor of New York, 41st Vice President of US (He was cremated there and his ashes were scattered on his own estate.)
- Gene Rodemich (1890-1934) Pianist and Bandleader
- Arsenio Rodríguez (1911–1970) Cuban composer, bandleader
- Sigmund Romberg (1887–1951) Composer
- Diana Sands (1934–1973) Actress
- Malik Sealy (1970–2000) NBA player
- Betty Shabazz (1936–1997) Philosopher, Leader, Wife-Malcolm X
- Toots Shor (1903–1977) Restaurateur
- Otto Soglow (1900–1975) Author, Cartoonist, New Yorker Magazine
- T.V. Soong (1894–1971) "Financier, Diplomat, Chairman of National Bank of China"
- Alfred Steele (1901–1959) Businessman, Board Chairman of Pepsi, Married to Joan Crawford
- Preston Sturges (1898–1959) Writer, Film Director
- Ed Sullivan (1901–1974) Gossip Columnist, Television Host
- Anya Taranda (1915–1970), model, showgirl
- Lionel Trilling (1905–1975) American Literary Critic
- Judy Tyler (1932–1957) Actress
- Lenore Ulric (1892–1970) Actress
- Conrad Veidt (1893–1943) Actor
- Billy Vine (1915–1958) Actor, Comedian
- Alexander Wall (1884–1946) Historian, notable Director of the New-York Historical Society
- Raymond Walburn (1887–1969) Actor
- David Warfield (1866–1951) Actor
- Frank Waterman (1869–1938) Founder of Pen Company
- Cornell Woolrich (1903–1968) Author, Screenwriter
- Whitney Young (1921–1971) Social Reformer, National Urban League
See also
External links