Presents:
A Visit to
Glendale, California
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Beautiful fountains inside the
gateway at Forest Lawn Glendale.
On New Year's Day in 1917, Dr.
Hubert Eaton wrote a pledge, called "The Builder's Creed", stating
that he wished to build a cemetary "as unlike other cemetaries as
sunshine is unlike darkness". He envisioned Forest Lawn to be "a
great park devoid of misshapen monuments and other signs of earthly
death, but filled with towering trees, sweeping lawns, splashing
fountains, beautiful statuary, and...memorial
architecture..."
Forest Lawn was built from that
dream, and is truly a place for the living to enjoy. It is a place
where, in loving memory of those who departed, one can celebrate life
and love.
We reached Forest Lawn Glendale at about noon, not realizing
the scope of the park- IT IS HUGE!! We were
impressed, but wanted to start exploring right away, so we wasted no
time in picking up a map from The Great Mausoleum. The Great
Mausoleum housed some incredible works of art, including a stained
glass re-creation of Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece, "The Last
Supper." Photography is prohibited within the Mausoleum and Churches,
so we couldn't get any photos of the inside, but let me just tell you
that when you see this place, you will know why! It is just like a
great museum, and in any great museum, you can't take photos.
The Staff was very friendly and we
discussed the general layout of the park, noting that there is a
large section with actual headstones, sort of non-conforming to "The
Builder's Creed", but remaining from an older cemetary that was
bought out and taken over by Forest Lawn.
After visiting the grave of Louis
Lamour, the great western novelist (which resides right outside the
entrance to The Great Mausoleum), we set out to visit some of the
churches. Anndrea liked The Church of the Recessional, sitting at the
very top of the park, while I favored the Wee Kirk o' the Heather, a
reproduction of Annie Laurie's 1200 circa church in Scotland.
Forest Lawn Glendale is the final
resting place of many famous actors, including Jimmy Stewart, and
George Burns and Grace Allen. If you wish to sightsee famous graves,
I suggest you gas your car up and get there early, as the scope of
the park is gigantic, and you WILL be doing a lot of driving!! Don't
forget to ask for information from the information booth at the
entrance, or from the Staff in The Great Mausoleum. They can direct
you toward the more famous gravesites.
There is so much more though..so
much to reflect on and admire...so much to ponder and adore, that I
could be writing this for the next year. Just take my advice and
visit...you won't be disappointed!
Jason e Jacobs
The Cemetary
Project
April 28, 1998
Forest Lawn
Glendale
1712 South Glendale
Avenue
Glendale,
California
(213)254-3131
(818)241-4151