Bodmann Mausoleum

H.Q. French of New York designed this perfect little Gothic Revival mausoleum in the shape of a small chapel. There is an interesting play of smooth and rusticated stone, Gothic arches frame stained glass windows, a splash of rose colored granite is used on the columns to contrast with the gray stone. Quatrefoils on the upper windows and the door add balance. Adding to the fairy tale appeal of the Bodmann mausoleum is its beautiful setting in relationship to the environment.

Much of the beauty of Spring Grove Cemetery can be attributed to landscape architect Adolph Strauch. Strauch was born in 1822 in the Prussian province of Silesia. He studied botany and in 1838 took a job in the Imperial Gardens in Vienna. It was there that he developed his taste for well groomed lawns carefully framed by masses of trees and sculpted ponds. In 1848 he worked in London’s Royal Botanical Gardens and also guided foreign visitors through the Crystal Palace Exhibition. During one of those tours a man from Cincinnati, Robert Bonner Bowler, gave him his calling card and instructed Strauch to look him up if he was ever in Cincinnati. As luck would have it, in 1852, while Strauch was touring America he missed a train from Texas to Niagara Falls and found himself in Cincinnati. He looked up Bowler, who proceeded to introduce Strauch to a number of Bowler’s wealthy friends. In short order, Strauch was designing gardens and landscapes all over Cincinnati. It was only a matter of time, 1854 to be exact, before Strauch was offered the superintendent’s job at Spring Grove, a post he held until his death in 1883.
Text and photo © Douglas Keister Visit Doug’s Author Page

[address cemetery=”Spring Grove Cemetery” street=”Spring Grove Ave” city=”Cincinnati” state=”Ohio” zip=”45232″]