Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is a cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, United States, about 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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 José Asensio Torrado (1892-1961), general of the Republican Army of Spain 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 Aline Bernstein (1882–1955), set & costume designer, Tony Winner, and lover, patron, and muse of novelist Thomas Wolfe James Baldwin (1924–1987), novelist, essayist Richard Barthelmess (1895–1963), actor Béla Bartók (1881–1945), composer, pianist, scholar (remains were exhumed and moved to Budapest in 1988) 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 (1897–1931), 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 Mid'hat Bey 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 Lemuel L. Foster (1891–1981) civil servant, community leader 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 Ernst Gräfenberg (1881-1957), physician and namesake for the g-spot 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 Hans Heinsheimer (1900–1993), music publisher, author, journalist 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 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 (1880–1967), Minister of Finance and Industry of Republic of China Vincent W. Lanna (1925–2010), US Army major general 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 Lucky Millinder (1910–1966), swing and rhythm-and-blues bandleader Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973), economist and philosopher Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), musician Khalid Abdul Muhammad (1948–2001), black nationalist and separatist Ona Munson (1903–1955), actress Dwight Arrington "Heavy D" Myers (1967–2011), rapper and actor 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 Joseph Pilates (1883-1967), physical trainer, writer, and inventor; developer of Pilates method 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) Daisy Allen Story (1858–1932), ninth President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution Zhang Youyi (1900–1988), first wife of Chinese poet Xu Zhimo H. H. Kung (1880–1967), Chinese financier and politician; husband of Soong Ai-ling. Soong Ai-ling (1889–1973), eldest of the Soong sisters Soong Mei-ling (1898–2003), First Lady of the Republic of China T. V. Soong (1894–1971), financier and diplomat; 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 American society figure, aviator and diplomat Joe Young (1889–1939), composer Whitney Young (1921–1971), social reformer (National Urban League) Josefa Zaratt (1871–1962), Puerto Rican doctor

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.

People whose remains were cremated and inurned at Ferncliff, but 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 sprinkled 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 sprinkled on his estate. Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), scientist of electrotechnics. His ashes were placed in the Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade.

See also List of cemeteries in the United States

References

External links Ferncliff Cemetery Association