PARK AND CEMETERY. 
197 
REQUIREMENTS FOR MAUSOLEUM CONSTRUCTION 
4n address before the Ohio Cemetery Association, by L. Y. 
Stephens, Superintendent, Greenlawn Cemtery, Columbus, Ohio. 
A very large percentage of mausoleums 
erected in our cemeteries could be made 
much more permanent than they are usual- 
ly constructed by a slight additional in- 
vestment on the part of the owner. Com- 
petent designers and builders who have 
made a careful study of the business state 
unhesitatingly, and we are of the same 
opinion, that the marble usually adopted 
for mausoleum interiors is entirely too 
thin, and we should insist that all marble 
for mausoleum interiors should have a 
minimum thickness of V /2 inches. Marble 
2 inches is preferable. Keen competition 
on the part of builders and the lack of ex- 
perience in such matters on the part of 
many builders and of most purchasers is 
responsible for marble % of an inch in 
thickness in most of our mausoleum in- 
teriors. Even though marble of this thick- 
ness is securely anchored, it is not strong 
enough to last any great length of time, 
and will give way long before the outer 
walls, usually of granite, will be in any 
way affected. This objection is sometimes 
overcome by omitting marble entirely from 
the construction and either substituting 
granite for the marble interior or cutting 
the inside of the granite walls smooth 
and have the granite main wall form the 
sides of the vestibule. It is generally be- 
lieved by man)'- designers and builders that 
when this is done and no inner construc- 
tion is adopted that there is little or no 
chance to ventilate, and that the granite 
inner walls are found to be very damp 
most of the time, and especially so 
through the early spring and summer. 
We beg to differ with them, however, 
for we know that proper ventilation can 
be given to prevent dampness under such 
construction. We have a building in our 
cemetery with the granite main walls 
forming the sides of the vestibule, and at 
no time have we ever found the interior 
damp. A granite interior is considerably 
higher in cost than marble and for that 
reason prohibitive in most cases. There- 
fore we recommend the adoption of heav- 
ier marble, if marble must be used, as a 
protection to both the owner and the cem- 
etery association. Where interior granite 
walls are to be used for the vestibule, the 
construction of the catacombs should be of 
granite only. 
A mausoleum should never be built 
without a granite platform at least two 
feet wide around the entire base of the 
building. This should be housed two or 
three inches under the base, thus doing 
away with a vertical joint at this point. 
The platform should not exceed more than 
an inch or two in height above the grade 
of the lot. And all mausoleums should 
have a granite platform not less than 5x8 
feet in front of the steps, set one to two 
inches above grade. All of this would 
add somewhat to the cost, but would be 
well worth the additional expense. 
Mausoleums should be placed on much 
larger lots than are usually selected for 
them. Invariably the purchaser has a ten- 
dency toward the selection of a lot just 
about one-third the size suitable for a 
.mausoleum, so that when they come to the 
planting and landscaping they find that 
they are cramped in that direction. All 
surroundings to mausoleums should be 
landscaped in keeping with the style of 
architecture. Mausoleums should never be 
located on a steep side hill, but only on 
level ground should they be built, and in a 
position of advantage to the building and 
not to a disadvantage of nearby and less 
pretentious memorials. 
The foundation for a mausoleum should 
be made in strict accordance with the 
cemetery association regulations. If there 
are no governing regulations, as the case 
may be in smaller cemeteries, than we 
would recommend the following : All 
foundations should be at least five feet in 
depth, and we are of the opinion that vitri- 
fied brick, with Portland cement of one 
part and three parts clean, sharp sand, 
makes the very best foundation. 
Foundations of well-mixed concrete are 
perhaps as good for their lasting qualities, 
but are more likely to draw dampness if 
not well waterproofed. A substantial 
foundation may be built of rubble masonry 
and of native stone laid up well in bond 
on natural bed. well wetted before layed 
in the wall and well bedded with cement 
mortar composed of one part of Port- 
land cement to three parts clean, sharp 
sand, the sand and cement to be thor- 
oughly mixed dry in mortar box before 
adding clean water, the mixture to form a 
stiff paste. 
In our opinion, foundations for mauso- 
leums should never be built solid ; there 
should be a good-sized air space at least 
under the floor of the vestibule to pre- 
vent dampness. 
We firmly believe in proper ventilation 
of mausoleums and would recommend the 
adoption of mausoleum plans only where 
they show sufficient air space between the 
main walls and the vestibule lining, with 
vent openings on each side at the top and 
at the bottom of the building. There 
should also be vent openings in the ceil- 
ing of the vestibule to prevent condensa- 
tion. 
Architecture : There is a great oppor- 
tunity for improvement in the architecture 
of our mausoleum ; often a slight increase 
in the amount of the appropriation, pro- 
vided the work is placed in the hands of 
competent mausoleum architects who have 
a genuine desire to elevate the standard of 
mausoleum and other monumental work 
in our cemeteries, will greatly improve the 
general appearance and construction of 
the buildings. Both owners and those to 
whom are entrusted the responsibility of 
preparing designs and plans should be en- 
couraged to strive for the higher class of 
design and workmanship. It is not out of 
place on the part of cemetery superintend- 
ents to urge this. 
Many cemetery superintendents have had 
the unpleasant experience of attempting to 
place a body in a mausoleum, only to dis- 
cover that the catacomb was not large 
enough to contain the casket. Each year 
makers have shown a tendency to in- 
crease the size of caskets, and those who 
have to do with the erecting of mauso- 
leums, whether the owner or the cemetery 
association, should insist upon catacombs 
sufficiently large to avoid any embarrass- 
ment or unpleasantness when occasion re- 
quires their use. The minimum size of 
catacombs should be 7 feet 6 inches in 
length, 2 feet 8 inches in width and 2 feet 
2 inches in height. It is now a common 
occurrence for capable mausoleum design- 
ers to call for catacombs 2 feet 10 inches 
in width. 
When only two or three catacombs are 
to be provided in a mausoleum and the 
size of caskets to be placed therein may 
be known in advance, there is no objection 
in that particular case to allowing the 
privilege of smaller catacombs. All cata- 
combs should be carefully sealed when oc- 
cupied. We recommend an opening the 
size of a lead pencil through the slate at 
the rear of each catacomb into the air 
chamber, this opening providing for the 
escape of gases that may form from the 
body. 
It is also advisable to have a shallow 
canal leading from each corner of and on 
the bottom of the catacombs to the center 
of the bottom, thence to a point at the 
rear of each catacomb in the air chamber. 
This canal will provide for condensation 
if any within the catacombs. 
There must come a time, sooner or later, 
in the life of every such structure, if its 
beauty and stability are to be maintained, 
when repairs will be imperatively needed ; 
so that any person or persons erecting a 
mausoleum or other structure fashioned 
and designed to contain the remains of 
the dead above ground should be required 
to first donate to the cemetery association 
a sum of money or fund for perpetual 
care. This sum should be in amomt 
not less than 10 per cent of the total con- 
tract price or cost of the structure, this 
sum to be held by the association in trust, 
and to be invested with other funds of 
like character, 
