Mystery Foto #45 Solved: The Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum in Staten Island
Did you identify this weekend's Mystery structure?
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
Identify:
- The structure, its location and purpose
The Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum located adjacent to the Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, Staten Island. It is the final resting place for 28 Vanderbilt Family members. Profile as described in Findagrave.com:
Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum sits on the eastern slope of Todt Hill, in the New Dorp section of Staten Island. The Cemetery is adjacent to Moravian Cemetery.
The Vanderbilt Mausoleum was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and constructed between 1884 and 1886. it has 125 Interment Spaces, Only 28 Vanderbilt family members are entombed here, and 2 memorialized on crypts.
The nearby Sloane Mausoleum attributed to Richard Howland Hunt, it was commissioned in 1897 and completed in the spring of 1898. Northwest of the Vanderbilt Mausoleum. The interior contains eighteen crypts.
The grounds of the cemetery and around both mausoleums were designed and created by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park.
It is a private family cemetery and is currently not open to the public.
- Who resides in the structure?
Findagrave.com lists 68 members of the Vanderbilt family buried in the cemetery including the the Vanderbilt Mausoleum, Sloane Mausoleum and several family plots
- Link the residents to the Vanderbilt Cup Races
Among the residents in the Vanderbilt Mausoleum related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races are:
Comments (13)
Congrats to Greg O., Steve Lucas, Dick Gorman, Scott & Vicki Alexander, Ken Parrotte, Art Kleiner, Mark Lanese, Margo Melton Nutt, Steve Morris, Al Velocci and Karl Petersen for identifying the Vanderbilt Mausoleum.
Kudos to Art Kleiner of North Carolina for providing additional documentation.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Comments
The Vanderbilt family mausoleum in the Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island. The cemetery and Mausoleum sits on the eastern slope of Todt Hill, in the New Dorp section of S.I. It is the final resting place for Willie K. Jr. and 27 other Vanderbilt family members that are entombed there, with 2 memorialized on crypts.
The Vanderbilt Mausoleum was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and constructed between 1884 and 1886. it has 125 Interment Spaces, Only 28 Vanderbilt family members are entombed here, and 2 memorialized on crypts.
The grounds of the cemetery and around the mausoleum were designed and created by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park.
I think Willie K Jr. could have had something to do with the Vanderbilt Cup Races but I’m not too sure.
An interesting video I found a couple of years ago while looking into the Biltmore House. In the comments section are some more interesting facts.
https://youtu.be/3loo5GHU_A4
avian That’s the Vanderbilt Mausoleum and Cemetery located at New Dorp, Staten Island, NY. It is adjacent to the Moravian Cemetery. It is the final resting place for members of the Vanderbilt family with that name. Although having spaces for 125, only 28 members of the Vanderbilt family are interred there including Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt and his two wives. The link to Vanderbilt Cup Races is that Willie K. himself is there.
Mystery Foto #45…The structure is the Vanderbilt Mausoleum at Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, Staten Island. Cornelius Vanderbilt, Willy K. and other Vanderbilts are buried here but they had to be “born” Vanderbilt, not Vanderbilt by marriage.
The last burial took place in 1999: Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, Jr.
This is the front of the The Vanderbilt Family Mausoleum on Staten Island. The Vanderbilts are entombed there, including William K. Vanderbilt Jr.
Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum, Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island, NY.
William Kissam Vanderbilt II.
The Vanderbilt Mausoleum, Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island. It is the private resting place of the Vanderbilt family built between 1884 and 1886. The bodies of the first family members who were buried in the cemetery were moved there were completed so as to be apart from the graves with “ordinary tombstones” as reported below.
Among 28 family members entombed are Commodore (Cornelius) Vanderbilt and his two wives and William K. Vanderbilt Jr.
Willie K. was the moving force of the Vanderbilt Cup Races.
One family member (Elliott F. Shepard) originally entombed in the mausoleum was moved in 1894 once the Shepard family tomb was built. The building of this tomb, and possibly others, might account for the Vanderbilt Mausoleum not containing the original number of family members originally thought to be entombed.
This is the Vanderbilt mausoleum in the Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island. Residents are Cornelius Vanderbilt I and II and a couple dozen other relatives.
Mystery photo is the Vanderbilt Mausoleum, New Dorp, Staten Island, NY
I believe this is the Vanderbilt family mausoleum
Howard, The mystery structure is the Vanderbilt Mausoleum located in the Monrovian Cemetery in Staten Island. There are approximately 30 persons entombed in the building including Willie K. The Mausoleum and the surrounding grounds are fenced off from the rest of the Cemetery and is not open to the public.
Karl Petersen
Vanderbilt Family Cemetery and Mausoleum
LOCATION New Dorp, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, 10306 USA
Why Staten Island?
Did any Vanderbilt’s live there?
They had ties to Long Island, I would understand a Vanderbilt plot there but does anyone know why they chose this location??
Anyone know what I marked as HERE may be? I don’t see these in the recent image, unless there out of view. For venting maybe?
I forgot to submit the HERE images
Dave - The Vanderbilt Family had roots in Staten Island. See attached link and photos.
https://househistree.com/houses/commodore-vanderbilt-s-mansion
Here’s a couple of aerial views of the Vanderbilt Tomb in Staten Island. Closeup shows the entire structure, the 2 higher parts of the tomb is obvious.
Brian, you can see them at the top of the dome in the interior photo
There are windows in them which means maybe they were added to allow natural light into the tomb.
I see now Greg, thanks. That’s just one of the domes, pretty sure this tomb building dwarfs my house. My screenshot below shows the entrance to High Rock Park Greenbelt Trails at the north end of Nevada Ave, small parking lot too. One maybe able to see the Vanderbilt Tomb from one of the trails even though it’s fenced and private.
Another shot showing the two domes.
I will check it at High Rock Park in the spring, I live in Staten Island.