Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is a cemetery in

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Gre ...

, United States, about north of

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

. It was founded in 1902, and is

non-sectarian Nonsectarian institutions are secular institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group. Academic sphere Many North American universities identify themselves as being nonsectarian, such as B ...

. Ferncliff has columbariums, a crematory, a small chapel, and a main office located in the rear of the main building.

Mausoleums

Ferncliff Cemetery has three community

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

s that offer what ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' has described as "lavish burial spaces". This cemetery includes

columbarium A columbarium (; pl. columbaria), also called a cinerarium, is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns holding cremated remains of the dead. The term comes from the Latin ''columba'' (dove) and originally solel ...

s. As of 2001, a standard crypt space in the mausoleums was priced at $15,000. The highest-priced spaces were private burial rooms with bronze gates, crystal chandeliers, and stained-glass windows, priced at $280,000.

Ferncliff

The Ferncliff Mausoleum, aka "The Cathedral of Memories", is the cemetery's oldest mausoleum, constructed in 1928. It has classic architecture, but the corridors are dark without glass panes to admit natural light. Ed Sullivan and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

are two of the most famous interments in the main mausoleum. Judy Garland was interred here from her death in 1969 until 2017 when her family moved her remains to

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Shrine of Memories

The Shrine of Memories is Ferncliff's second mausoleum and was constructed in 1956. "Shrine of Memories" is a more contemporary structure than "Ferncliff Mausoleum". It has many panes of glass to admit natural light, and there is a painting of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

in the main hall of the building. Basil Rathbone is one of the most famous interments in "Shrine of Memories".

Rosewood

Rosewood is Ferncliff's most recently completed community mausoleum, having been constructed in 1999. Joseph J. Mangan was the architect of Rosewood. Singer

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

and her father Michael Haughton have a private room in Rosewood.

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

is interred with his wife Zulme "Nuffie".

Ground burials

The cemetery is also known for its in-ground burials in sections located in front of the mausoleums. Ferncliff is one of the very few cemeteries that does not permit upright headstones in its outdoor plots. All outdoor grave markers are flush with the ground. This feature facilitates maintenance of the cemetery grounds. However, there are several upright headstones that were placed before this policy was instituted.

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

and the most famous ground burials, in plot Pinewood B.

Notable burials

(1979–2001), singer, actress, model, dancer; her father Michael Haughton (1951–2012), lies above her * Arthur W. Aleshire (1900–1940), congressman * Paul Althouse (1889–1954), opera singer * Diane Arbus (1923–1971), American photographer *

Harold Arlen Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ' ...

(1905–1986), composer * Tommy Armour (1895–1968), Hall of Fame professional golfer * José Asensio Torrado (1892-1961), general of the Republican Army of Spain * Leopold Auer (1845–1930), violinist * Arleen Auger (1939–1993), opera singer * Albert E. Austin (1877–1953), U.S. Congressman from Connecticut * Arthur Baer (1886–1969), journalist * James Baldwin (1924–1987), novelist, essayist * Richard Barthelmess (1895–1963), actor *

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

(1881–1945), composer, pianist, scholar (remains were exhumed and moved to

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

in 1988) * Charles A. Beard (1874–1948), educator, historian * Mary Ritter Beard (1867–1958), historian * Ouida Bergère (1886–1974), actress and screenwriter * Joseph P. Bickerton Jr. (1878–1936), attorney, theatrical producer * Sherman Billingsley (1900–1966), restaurateur, owner of Stork Club * Ray Bloch (1902–1982), composer, songwriter and arranger * Clint Blume (1898–1973), baseball player * Ballington Booth (1857–1940), social reformer ( Volunteers of America) * Maud Booth (1865–1948), co-founder of Volunteers of America * Irène Bordoni (1895–1953), actress, singer * Connee Boswell (1907–1976), singer * Peaches Browning (1910–1956), actress * John Brownlee (1900–1969), Australian baritone * Adolph Caesar (1933–1986), actor *

(1907–1994), musician * Northern Calloway (1948–1990), actor * Anthony Campagna (1884–1969), real estate developer * Salvatore Cardillo (1880–1947), composer * Hattie Carnegie (1880–1956), fashion designer * Thomas Carvel (1906–1990), founder of Carvel Ice Cream * Boris Chaliapin (1904–1979), artist, portrait painter, the son of Russian opera singer Feodor Chaliapin, brother of actor Feodor Chaliapin Jr. * Mady Christians (1900–1951), actress * Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), Mafioso * Alexander Cores (1900–1994), violinist, Dorian String Quartet *

(c. 1905–1977), actress * Ossie Davis (1917–2005), actor * Lya De Putti (1897–1931), actress * Ruby Dee (1922–2014) actress * Jack Donahue (1888–1930), actor and dancer * O. L. Duke (1953–2004), actor * Charles Evans (1926–2007), business leader, older brother of Robert * Robert Evans (1930–2019), film producer * Mid'hat Bey Frashëri (1880–1949),

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

n diplomat, writer, politician (reburied at

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, Albania, 2018) * Lew Fields (1867–1941), actor and comedian * John Flanagan (1865–1952), American sculptor * Michel Fokine (1880–1942), choreographer * Donald Foster (1889–1969), actor * Nahan Franko (1861–1930), musician * Anis Fuleihan (1900–1970), musician * Betty Furness (1916–1994), actress, consumer advocate, and commentator * Jane Gail (1890–1962), actress * Maria Gay (1879–1943), Catalan opera singer * Lawrence Otis Graham (1961–2021), lawyer and author * Minnie Gentry (1915–1993), actress * Ernst Gräfenberg (1881-1957), physician and namesake for the g-spot * Johnny Gunther (1929–1947), son of

John Gunther John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an Americans, American journalist and writer. His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-sell ...

and subject of '' Death Be Not Proud'' *

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

(1895–1960), librettist * Annette Hanshaw (1901–1985), singer * Renee Harris (1876–1969), theatre producer * Moss Hart (1904–1961), playwright and director * Kitty Carlisle Hart (1910–2007), actress and singer * Irene Hayes (1896–1975), businesswoman; founded Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe and Gallagher's Steakhouse * Hans Heinsheimer (1900–1993), music publisher, author, journalist * Robert Holland (1940–2021), business executive *

Karen Horney Karen Horney (; ; ; 16 September 1885 – 4 December 1952) was a German psychoanalyst who practiced in the United States during her later career. Her theories questioned some traditional Freudian views. This was particularly true of her theories ...

(1885–1952), psychiatrist * Alberta Hunter (1895–1984), singer and songwriter * Jam Master Jay (1965–2002), DJ for Run-DMC *

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

(1885–1945), composer * Juliana Young Koo (1905–2017), American-Chinese diplomat * Wellington Koo (1888–1985), diplomat, statesman; Ambassador of Republic of China * Hsiang-Hsi Kung (1880–1967), Minister of Finance and Industry of Republic of China * Alan Jay Lerner (1918–1986), composer and playwright * Avon Long (1910–1984), actor, singer, and dancer * Marion Lorne (1883–1968), actress * James Male (c. 1896–1947), lawyer and member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

* Moms Mabley (1894–1975), comedian * Michael Malloy (1873–1933), murder victim * Hugh Marlowe (1911–1982), actor * Elsa Maxwell (1883–1963), columnist, society figure * Jeffrey Miller (1950–1970), victim of the Kent State shootings and subject of John Filo's iconic photo of the event *

Ludwig von Mises Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (; ; September 29, 1881 – October 10, 1973) was an Austrian-American political economist and philosopher of the Austrian school. Mises wrote and lectured extensively on the social contributions of classical l ...

(1881–1973), economist and philosopher *

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

(1917–1982), musician * Khalid Abdul Muhammad (1948–2001), black nationalist and separatist * Ona Munson (1903–1955), actress * Dwight Arrington " Heavy D" Myers (1967–2011), rapper and actor *

Nat Nakasa Nathaniel Ndazana Nakasa (12 May 193714 July 1965), better known as Nat Nakasa, was a South African journalist and short story writer. Early life Nat Nakasa was born in outside Durban, South Africa, on 12 May 1937; his mother Alvina was a teac ...

(1937–1965), South African writer; his remains were repatriated to South Africa on August 19, 2014 for reburial at Chesterville, Durban, South Africa, in September 2014 * Dagmar Nordstrom (1903–1976), pianist, composer, one of the Nordstrom Sisters * Frederick O'Neal (1905–1992), actor * William Oberhardt (1882–1958), artist, portrait painter, illustrator, sculptor * David M. Potts (1906–1976), U.S. Congressman, House of Rep. (NY) * Leopold Prince (1880–1951), lawyer, New York State Assemblyman, judge, conductor * Anne Eisner Putnam (1911–1967), painter *

Otto Rank Otto Rank (; ; né Rosenfeld; 22 April 1884 – 31 October 1939) was an Austrian psychoanalyst, writer, and philosopher. Born in Vienna, he was one of Sigmund Freud's closest colleagues for 20 years, a prolific writer on psychoanalytic themes, ...

(1884–1939), psychiatrist * Vincenzo Rao (1898–1988),

Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian Americans, Italian American American Mafia, Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey, within the nationwide c ...

mobster * Connie Rasinski (1907–1965), animator * Basil Rathbone (1892–1967), actor * Sharon Redd (1945–1992), singer * Dana Reeve (1961-2006), actress, singer, activist * Charles Revson (1906–1975), founder of Revlon Cosmetics * Peter Revson (1939–1974), racecar driver *

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

(1898–1976), actor, singer, and civil rights activist * Gene Rodemich (1890–1934), pianist and bandleader *

Arsenio Rodríguez Arsenio Rodríguez (born Ignacio Arsenio Travieso Scull; August 31, 1911 – December 30, 1970)Giro, Radamés 2007. ''Diccionario enciclopédico de la música en Cuba''. La Habana, v. 4, p. 45 et seq. was a Cuban musician, composer and bandl ...

(1911–1970), Cuban composer and bandleader *

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his Musical theatre, musicals and operettas, particularly ''The Student Prince'' (1924), ''The Desert Song'' (1926) and ''The New Moo ...

(1887–1951), composer * Jerry Ross (1926–1955), songwriter * Diana Sands (1934–1973), actress * Friedrich Schorr (1888–1953), opera singer * Gerlando Sciascia (1934–1999), Bonanno crime family

caporegime A ''caporegime'' or ''capodecina'', usually shortened to ''capo'' or informally referred to as "captain", "skipper" or "lieutenant", is a leadership position in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia). A ''capo'' is a "made m ...

, Rizzuto clan

Malik Sealy Malik Sealy (February 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000) was an American professional basketball player, active from 1992 until his death in an automobile accident at the age of 30. Posthumously inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, Sealy ...

(1970–2000), NBA guard ( Minnesota Timberwolves) * Betty Shabazz (1936–1997), philosopher; wife of

* Malcolm Shabazz (1984–2013), grandson of Malcolm X *

Toots Shor Bernard "Toots" Shor (May 6, 1903 – January 23, 1977) was the proprietor of the saloon and restaurant Toots Shor's Restaurant, in Manhattan. He ran three establishments under that name, but his first was located at 51 West 51st Street. He ...

(1903–1977), restaurateur * Leo Sirota (1885–1965), pianist, teacher, and conductor * Otto Soglow (1900–1975), author and cartoonist (''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'') * Daisy Allen Story (1858–1932), ninth President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution * Zhang Youyi (1900–1988), first wife of Chinese poet Xu Zhimo *

Soong Ai-ling Soong Ai-ling (; July 15, 1889 – October 20, 1973), legally Soong E-ling or Eling Soong, Christian name Nancy, was a Chinese businesswoman, the eldest of the Soong sisters and the wife of H. H. Kung (Kung Hsiang-Hsi), who was the richest man ...

(1889–1973), eldest of the three Soong sisters * Soong Mei-ling (1898–2003), First Lady of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

* T. V. Soong (1894–1971), financier and diplomat; chairman of National Bank of China and brother of the Soong sisters * Alfred Steele (1901–1959), board chairman of

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

, married to

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He is credited as being the first screenwriter to find success as a director. Prior to Sturges, other ...

(1898–1959), writer and director * Ed Sullivan (1901–1974), columnist and television host * Anya Taranda (1915–1970), model and showgirl * Diana Trilling (1905–1996), author and literary critic * Lionel Trilling (1905–1975), literary critic * Judy Tyler (1932–1957), actress * Lenore Ulric (1892–1970), actress * Myrtle Vail (1888–1978), actress * Raymond Walburn (1887–1969), actor *

David Warfield David Warfield (November 28, 1866 – June 27, 1951) was an American theatre, stage actor. Life and career Warfield was born David Wohlfeld in San Francisco, California, to German-Jewish parents, Louise and Sigmund Wohlfeld. His first conne ...

(1866–1951), actor * Cornell Woolrich (1903–1968), author, screenwriter *

(El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz; born Malcolm Little, 1925–1965), human rights leader * Hilda Yen (1904–1970), Chinese society figure, aviator and diplomat,

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

* Joe Young (1889–1939), composer * Whitney Young (1921–1962), social reformer ( National Urban League) * Josefa Zaratt (1871–1962), Puerto Rican doctor

Cremations

Ferncliff Cemetery has the only crematory in Westchester County, New York, and performs approximately 10% of the cremations in New York state. Because of local ordinances, no additional crematories can be constructed in Westchester County. People whose remains were cremated and inurned at Ferncliff, but whose ashes were taken somewhere else include: *

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

(1921–1965), radio DJ known as "The Father of Rock & Roll". His ashes were moved to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. *

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...

(1936–1990), Muppets creator. His ashes were sprinkled at his

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, ranch. *

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

(1940–1980), singer and songwriter (

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

) * Christopher Reeve (1952–2004), actor (cremated only) * Nelson Rockefeller (1908–1979), Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States. His ashes were sprinkled on his estate. *

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla (;"Tesla"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; 10 July 1856 – 7 ...

(1856–1943), scientist of electrotechnics. His ashes were placed in the Nikola Tesla Museum,

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

References

External links

Ferncliff Cemetery Association
* * {{Coord, 41, 01, 39, N, 73, 49, 56, W, display=title, source:GNIS 1902 establishments in New York (state) Cemeteries in Westchester County, New York Mausoleums in the United States Cemeteries established in the 1900s Greenburgh, New York