Ferncliff Cemetery

Ferncliff Cemetery
Secor Road outside Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York

Details
Established	1902; 122 years ago (1902)
Location	Hartsdale, New York, US
Country	United States
No. of graves	>48,000
Website	Ferncliff Cemetery Association
Find a Grave	Ferncliff Cemetery

Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is a cemetery in Greenburgh, New York, United States, about 25 miles (40 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian. Ferncliff has columbariums, a crematory, a small chapel, and a main office located in the rear of the main building.

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Mausoleums

Ferncliff Cemetery has three community mausoleums that offer what The New York Times has described as "lavish burial spaces". This cemetery includes columbariums. 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.^[1]

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 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 in Los Angeles, California.^[2]

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 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 and her father Michael Haughton have a private room in Rosewood. Cab Calloway 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 and the most famous ground burials, in plot Pinewood B.

Notable burials

Aaliyah (1979–2001), singer, actress, model, dancer; her father Michael Haughton (1951–2012), lies above her^[3]
Arthur W. Aleshire (1900–1940), congressman
Paul Althouse (1889–1954), opera singer
Diane Arbus (1923–1971), American photographer
Harold Arlen (1905–1986), composer
Tommy Armour (1895–1968), Hall of Fame professional golfer
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 (1881–1945), composer, pianist, scholar;
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
Cab Calloway (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
Joan Crawford (c. 1905–1977), actress
Ossie Davis (1917–2005), actor
Lya De Putti (1899–1931), 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
Mit'hat Frashëri (1880–1949), Albanian diplomat, writer, politician (reburied at Tirana, 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
Johnny Gunther (1929–1947), son of John Gunther and subject of Death Be Not Proud
Oscar Hammerstein II (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
Robert Holland (1940–2021), business executive
Karen Horney (1885–1952), psychiatrist
Alberta Hunter (1895–1984), singer and songwriter
Jam Master Jay (1965–2002), DJ for Run-DMC^[4]
Jerome Kern (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 (1881–1967), 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
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 (1881–1973), economist and philosopher
Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), musician^[5]
Khalid Abdul Muhammad (1948–2001), black nationalist and separatist
Ona Munson (1910–1955), actress
Dwight Arrington "Heavy D" Myers (1967–2011), rapper and actor^[6]
Nat Nakasa (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 (1884–1939), psychiatrist
Vincenzo Rao (1898–1988), Lucchese crime family 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 (1898–1976), actor, singer, and civil rights activist
Gene Rodemich (1890–1934), pianist and bandleader
Arsenio Rodríguez (1911–1970), Cuban composer and bandleader
Sigmund Romberg (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, Rizzuto clan caporegime
Malik Sealy (1970–2000), NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Betty Shabazz (1936–1997), philosopher; wife of Malcolm X
Malcolm Shabazz (1984–2013), grandson of Malcolm X
Toots Shor (1903–1977), restaurateur
Leo Sirota (1885–1965), pianist, teacher, and conductor
Otto Soglow (1900–1975), author and cartoonist (The New Yorker)
Zhang Youyi (1900–1988), first wife of Chinese poet Xu Zhimo
Soong Ai-ling (1888–1973), eldest of the three Soong sisters^[1]
Soong Mei-ling (1897–2003), First Lady of the Republic of China^[7]^[8]
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, married to Joan Crawford
Preston Sturges (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 (1866–1951), actor
Cornell Woolrich (1903–1968), author, screenwriter
Malcolm X (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
Joe Young (1889–1939), composer
Whitney Young (1921–1971), social reformer (National Urban League)

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.

Cremations

People whose remains were cremated and inurned at Ferncliff, but some people whose ashes were taken somewhere else include:

Alan Freed (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 (1936–1990), Muppets creator. His ashes were scattered at his Santa Fe, New Mexico, ranch.
John Lennon (1940–1980), singer and songwriter (The Beatles)
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 scattered on his estate.
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), scientist of electrotechnics. His ashes were placed in the Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade.