Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home
{{Infobox building
| name = Wilhelm's Portland Memorial
Funeral Home
| image = Sellwood, Portland, Oregon (2015) - 19.JPG
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| image_caption = Wilhelm's Portland Memorial in 2012
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| address = 6705 SE 14th Avenue
| location_city = Portland, Oregon, U.S.
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| architectural_style = Mission Revival
| opened_date = {{start date|1901|4|24}}
| coordinates = {{coord|45.4745|N|122.6519|W|type:landmark_region:US-OR|display=inline, title}}
| website = {{URL|https://wilhelmportlandmemorial.com/}}
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Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home, Mausoleum and Crematory is a funerary establishment in the Sellwood neighborhood of southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1901 as the Portland Crematorium, it is the first and oldest crematorium west of the Mississippi River,{{cite news|last1=Hallman, Jr.|first1=Tom|title=Secrets, scandal entombed in Portland funeral home|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/05/secrets_scandal_entombed_in_po.html|access-date=January 2, 2014|work=The Oregonian|date=May 22, 2009}} and the largest privately managed indoor burial site in the Pacific Northwest.
Established due to a growing demand for crematory services in Portland at the turn of the 20th century, the establishment evolved to house a mausoleum as well, which consists of eight stories and over {{convert|5|mi|km}} of hallways, featuring ornate stained glass and Italian sculptures.
History
File:Wilhelm's Portland Memorial - DSC 0115 (2120125422).jpg
Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home was originally established as the Portland Crematorium on April 24, 1901, in response to the demand for crematory services in the Portland area. The Spanish Mission Revival-style mausoleum was built between 1900 and 1901, featuring whitewashed stucco walls, a tile roof, and mosaic tile doors. Frank Gibson, the secretary of the San Francisco Cremation Company, served as the first superintendent and manager of the crematory. At the time of its opening, charges for cremation were $45, and $25 for children under the age of twelve. Upon its opening, the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company operated a funeral car that could accommodate a casket as well as sitting benches for grieving family members.{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}}
File:Wilhelm's Portland Memorial - DSC 0136 (2120139418).jpg
In subsequent decades, the crematorium expanded into a full-fledged mausoleum. Connected by vault-lined hallways, staircases, and elevators,{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}} the mausoleum faces the Willamette River and Oaks Bottom swamp,{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}} is eight stories in height, and contains over {{convert|5|mi|km}} of hallways.{{cite web|url=https://pamplinmedia.com/sb/75-features/399676-294464-wilhelms-portland-memorial-mausoleum-westmorelands-hidden-gem-pwoff|work=Portland Tribune|title=Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Mausoleum: Westmoreland's hidden gem|last=Beck|first=Dana|date=July 6, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190913225803/https://pamplinmedia.com/sb/75-features/399676-294464-wilhelms-portland-memorial-mausoleum-westmorelands-hidden-gem-pwoff|archive-date=September 13, 2019}} The mausoleum features numerous marble fronts on crypts which originate from quarries in Italy, while a variety of statues and other religious sculptures throughout were made by the Italian Tavarelli Studios. One of the central statuaries in the mausoleum is a replica of Michelangelo's La Pietà. Stained glass crafted by the Povey Brothers is incorporated throughout.
The original crematorium building is the Rose Chamber, grouped with several rooms below it, also named after flowers: the Lily, Daisy, Tulip, and Carnation Rooms.{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}} Various wings throughout the mausoleum take their names from religious figures as well as U.S. presidents.{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}}
Accessibility
Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home is open to the public. Each Memorial Day,{{cite web|work=The Oregonian|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/my-portland/2014/05/memorial_day_at_wilhelms_portl.html|title=Memorial Day at Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Mausoleum|date=May 14, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190913232608/https://www.oregonlive.com/my-portland/2014/05/memorial_day_at_wilhelms_portl.html|archive-date=September 13, 2019}} the historic private tomb of George Rae, one of the wealthiest men in Portland history, is open to the public for 90 minutes.{{cite web|work=KGW|url=http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/24/12256674/|date=July 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103055253/http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2014/07/24/12256674/|archive-date=January 3, 2015|url-status=dead|title=Portland tomb opened only 90 minutes a year|author=KGW Staff}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/sellwood/2010/05/another_weekend_idea_celebrate.html|work=The Oregonian|title=Another Weekend Idea: Celebrate Memorial Day at the historic Portland Memorial Mausoleum|date=May 27, 2010|last=Collins|first=Jessica|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190913232908/https://www.oregonlive.com/sellwood/2010/05/another_weekend_idea_celebrate.html|archive-date=September 13, 2019}}
Notable burials
{{div-col}}
- Homer Daniel Angell, U.S. congressman
- Charlie Babb, Major League Baseball player{{sfn|Lee|2015|p=497}}
- Jack Beutel, actor{{cite book|edition=3rd|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons|page=100|publisher=McFarland|author=Wilson, Scott|year=2016|isbn=978-1-476-62599-7}}
- William Alexander Ekwall, U.S. congressman{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=274}}
- William Russell Ellis, educator and politician{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=274}}
- Charlie High, Major League Baseball player{{sfn|Lee|2015|p=497}}
- Robert Denison Holmes, 28th Governor of Oregon{{sfn|Spencer|1998|p=430}}
- Syl Johnson, Major League Baseball player{{sfn|Lee|2015|p=497}}
- Fielder Jones, Major League Baseball player{{sfn|Lee|2015|p=497}}
- Rufus Mallory, politician and lawyer
- Mayo Methot, actress{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}}
- Theodore Penland, U.S. soldier
- Charlie Swindells, Major League Baseball player{{sfn|Lee|2015|p=497}}
- Wayne Twitchell, Major League Baseball player
- John Yeon, architect{{sfn|Barnes|2004|p=44}}
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Gallery
{{Gallery
|title=
|width=130 | height=120
| File:Wilhelm's Portland Memorial - DSC 0120 (2120131022).jpg
|Sculpture in mausoleum
| File:Sellwood, Portland, Oregon (2015) - 12.JPG
|Mausoleum entry
|File:Wilhelm's Portland Memorial - DSC 0070 (2119321447).jpg
|Seating area
|File:Wilhelm's Portland Memorial - DSC 0085 (2119332955).jpg
|Overhead view of fountain above atrium
|File:Sellwood, Portland, Oregon (2015) - 34.JPG
|South end of building
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See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
{{Commons category|Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral & Cremation}}
- {{cite book|last=Barnes|first=Christine|year=2004|title=Only in Oregon: Natural and Manmade Landmarks and Oddities|publisher=Farcountry Press|location=Helena, Montana|isbn=978-1-560-37292-9}}
- {{cite book|last=Lee|first=Bill|year=2015|title=The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of More Than 7,600 Major League Players and Others|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-60930-0}}
- {{cite book|last=Spencer|first=Thomas E.|year=1998|title=Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated|publisher=Clearfield Company|location=Baltimore, Maryland|isbn=978-0-806-34823-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/wheretheyreburie00spen}}
External links
- {{Find a Grave cemetery}}
{{Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, Oregon}}
Category:1901 establishments in Oregon
Category:Crematoria in the United States
Category:Death care companies of the United States
Category:Mausoleums in the United States
Category:Mission Revival architecture in Oregon
Category:Buildings and structures in Sellwood-Moreland, Portland, Oregon