THE STORY OF FOREST LAWN CEMETERY
A DISTINGUISHED YET VIBRANT PRESENCE SINCE 1849
A leader among its peers since 1849, Forest Lawn Cemetery has long invited individual expression and fostered excellence in design, architecture, and memorialization. Among its 269 pastoral acres are memorials to over 152,000 individuals – many of great distinction.
The cemetery serves as one the world's finest outdoor museums. Among its monuments, sculptures, and mausoleums are many designed by great sculptors and architects, including Stanford White, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Harriet Frishmuth, E.B. Green, Richard Upjohn, N. Cantalamessa-Papotti, George Cary, Charles Cary Rumsey – and now, Frank Lloyd Wright.
Forest Lawn's great tradition of welcoming visitors grew out of a concept that originated at Père-Lachaise in 1805. This Parisian cemetery was the first to create a park-like space with bucolic vistas intended to attract the living. They encouraged families to visit and remember their loved ones. Forest Lawn became one of the very first such places in America to invite the public to enjoy its beauty and celebrate its residents.
The tradition that began more than 150 years ago at Forest Lawn continues today. This remains a vital place where past and present are joined and visitors are warmly welcomed. Picnics, tours, and creative events enrich the life of the community. Such activities ensure the ultimate tribute: those departed are surrounded with vibrant life, ensuring that they are perpetually remembered.
Through Blue Sky Mausoleum, Forest Lawn advances its mission to provide meaningful memorialization and, in this singular structure, further enhances its extraordinary collection of outdoor art shared freely with the public.