Imagine a serene garden where art and history intertwine. This is Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis. It is more than just a final resting place. Lakewood Cemetery is a keeper of the city’s treasures.
Founded in 1871, Lakewood’s story began with New England businessmen and women. They helped build Minneapolis. These progressive individuals envisioned a peaceful and beautiful setting. It would be a place for community members to be buried.
Minneapolis was a riverfront outpost in the 1840s. Colonel John Stevens built the first permanent dwelling. By 1857, the town had rough wooden buildings and dirt roads. But Minneapolis grew fast. Lakewood Cemetery was founded four years after Minneapolis was incorporated. It was thirteen years after Minnesota achieved statehood. In 1871, Minneapolis had 13000 residents. The city’s southern edge was at Franklin Avenue.
Colonel William S. King proposed a cemetery. He was a local businessman and newspaper publisher. He suggested community leaders work together. A group of 15 chose the site. They determined how to finance it. Lakewood’s founders selected land between Lakes Harriet and Bde Maka Ska. Colonel King owned it. They modeled Lakewood after rural cemeteries popular on the East Coast. Visitors traveled to Lakewood by horse and buggy on an unpaved road.
Colonel King sold the land for $21000. The payment would be over a year at 7 percent interest. A home in Minneapolis cost about $500 then. The trustees raised $25000 for grounds and improvements. They sold 250 shares of stock at $100 each. The trustees bought two-thirds. A committee solicited the remaining balance from other residents.
The public dedication of Lakewood Cemetery was on September 16, 1872. The Association reacquired all stock from the original investors. About three years later, the Association submitted its first annual report. It stressed Lakewood’s nonprofit status. Lakewood has remained a nonprofit, nondenominational cemetery. It provides services to Minnesota families.
Lakewood Cemetery is known for its beautiful chapel. It opened a century ago. It is an architectural treasure. It is a stunning example of decorative arts. Ron Gjerde calls it the most perfect example of Byzantine mosaic art in the country. The chapel’s interior has about 10 million hand-set tiles. They depict golden guardian angels. They show a grove of olive trees through the seasons. A passage from the Song of Solomon is also shown.
Tiled medallions depict faith, hope, love, and memory. They are on the chapel’s four pendentives. These are the triangular arches adapting the dome to the square chapel. Virtually every inch of the interior is tiled.
Harry Wild Jones designed the chapel. He also designed the Scottish Rite Temple and the Washburn Park water tower. Elizabeth Vandam wrote a biography of Jones. The Lakewood chapel is modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was built as an Eastern Orthodox church. It was an Islamic mosque when Jones visited it.
Charles Lamb designed the Lakewood chapel’s interior. Artisans from Italy installed it. A century later, the chapel remains an exotic gem among the graves. Lakewood Cemetery uses the chapel for funeral and wedding ceremonies. Some grade schools use it for graduation ceremonies.
Many stories come from unexpected places at Lakewood. People share their memories. They tell of family visits and finding peace within its grounds. Lakewood is a place of beauty and remembrance. It connects generations through shared experiences.
Consider this. Lakewood Cemetery is not just a burial ground. It is a living testament to Minneapolis’s history. It is a place of art, architecture, and personal stories. It is a serene space where memories are cherished.