Inside the Disneyland cemeteries
Forest Lawn Memorial Park doubles as a spectacle of art, Christianity, architecture and patriotism. - Abi Skipp under CC BY 2.0
Unless you're grabbing a ticket to the Academy Awards or breaking into one of the parties afterward, the best way to be in the Hollywood celebrity crowd is to head to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The cemetery grounds have perhaps more stars per square foot than any Los Angeles zip code. The problem is that their graves can be hard to find.
More than 350,000 people are buried on Forest Lawn's 300-plus acres. The grounds are adjacent to the steep slope of the Verdugo Mountains, and grave markers are dug into the ground, making it difficult to single out any one person. The above-ground graves scattered around the area are no relief either, as they are mostly hidden in a maze of gardens and yards. You don't want to ask the people who work there for directions to a celebrity's grave - out of respect for the privacy of the dead, they won't help. Instead, you are left to your own devices.
Forest Lawn's flat, open layout, known as the "lawn-park" design, was the invention of the cemetery's founder, Hubert Eaton, who established the cemetery in its present form in 1917. It is a model of organization and efficiency that was then copied countless times by other cemeteries throughout the United States. When viewed from above Forest Lawn, the sight of tens of thousands of distinctly different graves crammed together is both striking and eerie.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Eaton transformed the grounds into more than just a cemetery. He turned it into a spectacle of art, Christianity, architecture, and patriotism, attracting millions of visitors annually and millions of dollars into his pockets. In doing so, Eaton established Forest Lawn as a groundbreaking success that changed the face of cemeteries across the country and corporatized mourning in America in a hitherto unprecedented way.
Although there are many celebrities in Forest Lawn, one of the reasons celebrities choose to be buried there is because of the anonymity it provides after death. There are five other Forest Lawns in Los Angeles that operate on the same model. The first and oldest is in Glendale, where mostly classic pop stars such as Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor and Humphrey Bogart are buried. Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills is a more luminous resting place for modern celebrities, including Carrie Fisher from Star Wars Paul Walker from " Fast and Furious" and rapper Nipsey Hassle. The remaining spots are populated by a small scattering of "B" and "C" list celebrities.
Postcard image of Wee Kirk o' Heather - Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Forest Lawn is divided into sections with such dreamy and alluring names as Dawn of Tomorrow, Memory Slope, Whispering Pines and Slumberland. There is an artificial but impressive atmosphere of international culture here. There are impressive replicas of world-famous works of art on display, such as Michelangelo' s Goliath-sized statue of David . The cemetery's themed attractions are designed to transport visitors to a cartoonish time and place: the 17th-century Scottish stone chapel of Wee Kirk o' the Heather looks like it was stolen from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Even the garbage cans are disguised as fake logs so as not to disturb the magical feel. The centerpiece of the property is the tower-filled palace known as the Grand Mausoleum.
Not surprisingly, many architectural critics and journalists refer to Forest-Lawn as the Disneyland of cemeteries. But it really isn't. Disneyland, which opened in 1955, is more like Forest-Lawn without the graves.
Balding, beardless Eaton did not suffer from a lack of self-esteem. He bore the godlike nickname "The Builder," and in the early days of his cemetery he developed a mission statement that looked more like a set of holy commandments than a business plan. The Builder's creed was carved on a giant stone slab that still stands in front of the Grand Mausoleum.
View of Builder's Creed - Abi Skipp via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 2.0
Credo censures traditional cemeteries as "unsightly stone yards full of unartistic symbols and dreary customs" and promises all who read it that the Builder will offer people a better place to die. His Forest Lawn is "as unlike other cemeteries as sunlight is to darkness, as eternal life is to death."
According to the builder's plan, the cemetery was to be a temple-garden, "filled with tall trees, wide lawns, splashing fountains, birdsong, beautiful statues, cheerful flowers, noble architecture with interiors full of light and color and fragrant with the best history and romance of the world."
Money will also flow into his temple. The creed concludes with a pious command that Forest Lawn be a place "protected by a vast endowment fund."
Eaton was born in 1881 in Liberty, Missouri, and after earning a degree in chemistry, he moved west, hoping to get rich in the silver mines. Things didn't work out as planned, and in 1911 he moved to Los Angeles, where he took a job selling plots for commissions to mourners in the new cemetery in what is now Glendale.
While others saw the suburb as nothing more than a dreary, sun-scorched hillside burial ground, Eaton envisioned that the area soon to be covered by the city could benefit from the sale of real estate. Los Angeles was on the verge of completing the aqueduct that would provide it with an endless supply of water and completely change its destiny. By the 1920s, it would become America's largest metropolis.
Eaton was right about the potential of a well-located cemetery. Think about the math: A typical grave occupies about 30 square feet of space, which means that one acre could easily hold more than 1,300 graves. The potential profit from a cheaply purchased plot of land - even if the plot sold for a measly $10 - was huge. The problem that the Eaton Cemetery and many others faced was that filling grave plots could take a long time. More people had to die in order to get a big payoff. And young, recently relocated professionals in Los Angeles were unlikely to die in large numbers.
But there was another way. Eaton developed an aggressive pre-sale program targeting live people. Although the concept of pre-selling, or preneed, had already been used elsewhere, Eaton took it to a new and creative level. He was offering people security for their family if disaster struck. He wasn't selling them death, but eternal life on a piece of sacred ground where they could find immortal rest after the end of their earthly term. He was not selling a grave plot, but spiritual and physical peace of mind.
Nevertheless, the cemetery was floundering in debt. The owners, having lost faith in the enterprise, did not see the potential that Eaton had.
In late 1916, Eaton, through a series of aggressive financial maneuvers and with partial financial backing from close relatives and a legendary local real estate speculator, purchased a controlling interest in the cemetery and became its director. On January 1, 1917, it became Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, a name chosen because it was more successful than the cemetery.
Freedom Court at Forest Lawn - Kent Kanouse via Flickr under CC BY-NC 2.0
The first thing the developer did was to get rid of all the traditional tombstones rising above the ground. They were too loud to announce that a dead person was living here, took up too much space and consumed a lot of time and money to maintain the area. Instead, burial sites in the cemetery will be marked with bronze plaques dug into the ground and covered with huge lawns that can be quickly traversed by an industrial tractor mower.
Eaton's sales and marketing strategies were equally innovative. He printed colorful newspaper ads, something cemeteries had never done until then. He placed billboard ads, presenting Forest Lawn as a place of "beauty and comfort" and as an exciting attraction that could be visited by the whole family. The cemetery employed a full staff of salesmen who went door-to-door, offering potential customers Forest Lawn as a home for eternity.
All the while, the Builder was transforming Forest Lawn into a place like no other in the world, capitalizing on the cultural psyche of Americans. He collected original sculptures from around the world and commissioned replicas of famous works of art that were meant to outshine the originals. Unlike other cemeteries, most of the artworks were not attached to the grave. They were displayed separately. The cemetery grounds became a magical kingdom divided into themed sections teeming with flowers, greenery and statues. He built fairy-tale chapels not only for funerals but also for weddings. Soon tourists from all over the world were lining up to spend the day at Forest Lawn, buying postcards and souvenirs in the gift shops. Eaton created a place to relax and a destination.
A theme park, unlike an amusement park, is an outdoor area designed for entertainment and centered around a particular theme or divided into sections of different themes. By definition, Forest Lawn was the first theme park in the country, founded 13 years before Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California, which is usually credited with the title.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Walt Disney was very flattering to his close friend Eaton. When he opened his first theme park, Disneyland, in 1955, Forest Lawn had already been California's most popular tourist destination for nearly four decades. Disney clearly borrowed heavily from the layout and business model of the cemetery when creating his eponymous attraction, so it's fitting that he later chose to be buried in Forest Lawn.
Walt Disney's grave in a small garden at the Liberty Mausoleum on Forest Lawn - Arthur Darke from Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0
The popularity of the cemetery as a vacation destination led to an increase in demand and prices for burial space. Burial at Forest Lawn was advertised as a privilege available only to the upper middle class and elite. Like a five-star resort, Eton offered different levels of luxury and accommodation depending on price and location. The Grand Mausoleum, opened in 1920, is the most exclusive place. Inside it, Eaton created a Memorial Court of Honor where its occupants are buried in the floor. You can't just buy a seat there. You have to be chosen by an "immortal" secret committee to gain access.
The resting places in the Memorial Court of Honor are directly beneath a 30-foot stained-glass reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci' s painting " The Last Supper." Unlike Westminster Abbey, where the remains of British queens and kings, as well as Charles Darwin, Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens rest, few of the so-called immortals buried at Forest Lawn are immediately recognizable - except, of course, the Builder himself.
But the Builder didn't finish the construction. He acquired and displayed a 17-foot-tall statue of David and a 13-foot-tall statue of George Washington that was originally to stand in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. He hung the world's largest religious painting - an original depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus - in a cathedral-like room comparable to the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Florida.
In addition to the eye-catching decorations, Forest Lawn became a one-stop funeral store, pushing out local funeral homes and housing its own mortuary and flower store. The cemetery began selling caskets, memorials, and even life insurance. Eaton then expanded his empire by opening other Forest Lawns in the area. He showed the huge, untapped profit potential in the graveside business, and the rest of the funeral industry in America took note and followed suit.
A stained glass copy of Leonardo da Vinci' s " Last Supper" at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale - FLgruiz on Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0
The builder died in 1966. His funeral was of the kind one would expect from a man of extreme wealth and no lack of dignity. The Forest Lawn was decorated with ostentatious images befitting the death of a pope or saint, such as a cross of 11,000 white carnations and 5,000 red roses. During the service, the choir sang "Hallelujah " from Handel's " Messiah," and guests included some of the West Coast's most influential and famous people, including future President Ronald Reagan. Builder's friend Walt Disney was named an honorary bow bearer, but was unable to attend due to his battle with cancer. The ceremony ended with the former governor of California declaring the Builder immortal and then walling him into the floor of the Memorial Court of Honor.
Today, Forest Lawn continues to find creative ways to capture the public's attention and offer them a builder-inspired way to spend eternal life on their property. Most recently, the company has opened kiosks in five Southern California shopping centers selling burial plots and funeral services.