259 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE PRIVATE COLUMBARIUM 
BOWDITCH COLUMBARIUM, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 
Putnam & Cox, Archs. 
An attempt at solving the problem of designing a monu- 
ment that shall be dignified, original and expressive appears 
in the Bowditch Columbarium, recently installed in Mount 
Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. The commonplaceness and 
conventionality that mark so much monumental work is, of 
course, more easily repudiated in word than avoided in 
practice — as Mr. Allen H. Cox, of Putnam and Cox, archi- 
tects, confesses freely he has discovered in the case of sev- 
eral memorials of this kind which he has designed. Com- 
missioned by Charles P. Bowditch, Esq., of Boston, to plan 
a private columbarium as a receptacle for cinerary urns, the 
architects were under obligations to produce a design that 
would be appropriate to the uses of two branches of the 
Bowditch family for whom the columbarium is intended, 
and, more generally, to the spirit of the time and the place. 
No modern example of a columbarium was at hand, so that 
a type had to be created ab initio if at all. 
Dignity has resulted from the simplicity of the design, 
and considerable beauty from the adequate treatment of the 
materials. The statuary bronze has the quality of hand work, 
throughout its surfces; everything suggestive of machine 
work has been avoided. What originality is notable in the 
ornament, very sparingly used, is due both to invention and 
to adaptation of motives. The continuous, wavy border at 
the top of the columbarium was specially devised by the ar- 
chitects — not, perhaps, without reminiscence of familiar clas- 
sical forms. It has no particular symbolistic meaning; a 
little ornamentation of that character seemed to be needed 
just there. The forms, however, that are employed in the 
continuous conventionalized garland and the capitals of the 
pilasters are expressive as well as decorative. The jasmine 
for several generations has been a family flower of the Bow- 
ditches. It has accordingly been conventionalized and em- 
ployed in familiar type of classical design. Somewhat more 
freely and realistically a sprig of it has been used unob- 
trusively in very low relief on one of the main panels. 
This Bowditch columbarium will unquestionably, because 
of the care and thought expended on it, take rank as one 
of the important sculptural works of the most famous of 
.American cemeteries. It stands at the corner of Walnut 
avenue and Tulip Path. The lot is surrounded by heavy 
granite curbing. The columbarium itself, nine feet high and 
cylindrical in shape, is of statuary bronze. The circular base 
of granite, is about fourteen feet in diameter. On it rests a 
similar base whose 'diameter is ten feet. The columbarium 
bears the family motto, “Spec Durat Avorum.” The cornice 
and frieze are supported by four plain pilasters and their 
ornamental capital. 
The interior is divided by a marble slab into two compart- 
ments. Each of these is fitted with five marble shelves, 
spacious enough to hold cinerary urns. 
The models for this columbarium were made by Hugh 
Cairns, sculptor, and the casting was done by T. F. Mc- 
Cann, under Mr. Cox’s personal oversight. 
This and the other columbarium in a Baltimore cemetery 
recently illustrated in The Monumental News, are believed 
to be the only private structures of the kind in this country. 
NEW CEMETERIES, IMPROVEMENTS AND EXTENSIONS 
New Providence Cemetery, Paris, III., 
has added one acre of new territory. 
Among the improvements made in 
Maple Grove' Cemetery, Ravenna, O., 
during the past season by Superinten- 
dent R. E. Gifford was the laying of 
new concrete gutters; the grading of 
five new sections, which are soon to be 
planted with hard maples; the clearing 
of large areas of moss, and the build- 
ing of a lily pond. Mr. Gifford has 
turned over $1,400 to the trustees as a 
result of the year’s work, the largest 
sum that has yet been cleared in a 
year. A new rustic arbor is to be built 
this season. 
The Newton Cemetery Association 
of Marion, Ind.. has been in corporated 
and expects to spend $6,000 in improve- 
ments. A. F. O’Donnell is secretary. 
George H. Brown, landscape gard- 
ener of public grounds, Washington, D. 
C., has prepared plans for the devel- 
opment of the new city cemeteries of 
Norfolk, Va. 
The Reliance Cemetery Association 
of Reliance, Va., has been incorporated 
by A. W. Couthorn, B. F. Cooley and 
others. 
The Graceland Park Cemetery Asso- 
ciation of Joliet, 111 ., is to be incor- 
porated to establish a modern cemetery 
on a 137 acre tract known as the Row- 
ell farm near that city. W. N. Rudd, 
of Mt. Greenwood, Chicago, is one of 
the organizers and O. C. Simonds of 
Chicago is to lay out the grounds. 
The Rivercrest Cemetery Associa- 
tion, composed of Cleveland and Akron 
men, has been organized to develop a 
modern cemetery on a 73 acre tract 
overlooking the Cuyahoga river near 
Akron. Hosea Paul, of Cleveland, has 
prepared plans and made surveys of the 
tract. 
Maplewood Cemetery, Durham, N. 
C., has bought a sixteen acre addition. 
The late James Viall has left a be- 
quest of $20,000 to the East .\kron 
Cemetery Association of Akron, O. 
Forest Hill Cemetery, Scranton, Pa., 
has recently completed a handsome new 
chapel and receiving vault. 
Evergreen Cemetery, Elizabeth, N. 
J., has completed a new gateway at 
the main entrance. It consists of four 
massive posts of Barre granite, with 
handsome ornamental iron gates. 
