Mountain View Mausoleum

DETAILS:

• Location: 2300 N. Marengo Ave. Altadena, CA 91001

• Hours of Operation: Daily - 9AM to 4PM

• Parking: Campus parking available. Various rates apply. Please observe all posted parking signage.

• Cost: Free!

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes.

• Miscellaneous: Make sure you enter the above address into your navigation and not “Mountain View Cemetery” since the mausoleum is located outside cemetery grounds. I mistakenly drove around the cemetery grounds for awhile until I realized this for myself.

You can find beauty in the oddest places, even in a mausoleum. Built in 1923 by Cecil E. Bryan, Mountain View Mausoleum is a stunning achievement in architecture and decor. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since Bryan, who collaborated with famed architect; Frank Lloyd Wright, is considered the “master” of mausoleums. With some 80 mausoleums to his credit, Mountain View Mausoleum is undoubtedly his masterpiece. The center of attention is its 180 foot-long great gallery and the fresco murals hand-painted along its vaulted ceiling by artist; Martin Syvertsen (which took 4 years to complete). And you can't walk more than ten feet before encountering another one of its amazing stained glass panels crafted by local experts; Judson Studio, that wash many of the corridors in a flourish of color. I won’t lie to you, it was a little eerie walking through the halls all by my lonesome, but my trepidation was quickly replaced with a sense of awe by all the beauty that surrounded me. I’m just glad it’s not open at night. I’m not sure I would be that bold.

 

RESOURCES:

• Mountain View Mausoleum website.