Is this the most opulent mausoleum you’ve ever seen? The Clark Family Mausoleum stands before you a breathtaking monument on a tiny island in the middle of Sylvan Lake at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Built in 1920 it’s a stunning example of Greco-Roman Classical Revival architecture. William Andrews Clark Jr founder of the Los Angeles Philharmonic spared no expense. He envisioned this as his final resting place thirteen years before his death.
The mausoleum is crafted from 125000 dollars worth of Georgia marble. That’s equivalent to millions today. Twenty fifteen-foot Ionic pillars encircle the structure. Inside seven hand-carved sarcophagi rest on onyx bases. Each one is unique. The walls are covered in a million tiny imported Italian tiles. Eighteen artisans spent over a year creating intricate biblical scenes in mosaic.
The crypt itself is sealed with a bronze door. Above it a figure symbolizing immortality is carved. The Latin inscription reads “The sweet memory of our beloved chases away the fear of death the nature of heaven gives hope of a new life.” The first to be interred was Clark’s second wife Alice. She was considered the most beautiful woman in Los Angeles. Sadly she died young at 34. His first wife Mabel followed. Their son William Clark III died tragically in a 1932 plane crash. Finally William Andrews Clark Jr joined them in 1934 after a heart attack at his Montana summer home.
His funeral was a grand affair. Forty musicians from the Philharmonic played his favorite pieces. Simultaneously services were held in Butte and Missoula Montana and Jerome Arizona. His final wish was fulfilled a reading of William Cullen Bryant’s poem Thanatopsis. Then his bronze coffin was placed inside the mausoleum and the door was sealed.
Clark Jr’s legacy extends beyond his impressive mausoleum. He was a philanthropist. He left substantial sums to his servants and various institutions including UCLA. His life and death are intimately intertwined with the story of this magnificent mausoleum a timeless testament to a complex man’s enduring presence. Consider the lives contained within those marble walls. Reflect on the stories they hold unspoken secrets of a bygone era. The Clark Family Mausoleum is more than a tomb it is a captivating chapter in the history of Los Angeles.