Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Connecting the Present with the Past | Page 5

sweet auburn | 2019 volume i
“…where the hand
of the designer and
horticulturalist
would adorn the
solemn paths and
avenues displaying
monuments to
the dead.”
a place to cherish the memory of those
interred here. However, the Cemetery
landscape is defined by its change, and to
avoid becoming a relic of the historical
past we must continually engage with the
present through innovative and contemporary
monument, building, and landscape design.
Our responsibility as stewards of this historic
landscape requires that we maintain a balance
of thoughtful adaptation to shifting burial
customs while simultaneously respecting
our richly layered past. By remaining active
and relevant as a place for burial and
commemoration, we complete the connection
between the present and the past.
The recent renovation of Bigelow, which
features a striking glass-enclosed addition
by William Rawn Associates, exemplifies
our commitment to preserving our built
environment while embracing appropriate
contemporary design. The modern addition,
though prominent, was carefully designed
with a low roof profile in deference to the
verticality of the gothic-inspired chapel. The
transparent floor-to-ceiling glass allows
one to see the chapel through the new
addition and, just as importantly, permits
visitors inside the building to experience the
beautifully textured landscape outside, giving
an impressive perspective on the recently
renovated Asa Gray Garden. In all, the project
has revitalized a building essential to the
story of Mount Auburn that was nonetheless
suffering from a lack of accessibility and
modern amenities, resulting in renewed
excitement for the power of contemporary
design to ensure that our historic buildings
remain relevant and active into the future.
As one wanders deeper into the Cemetery,
it is the interplay of monuments with the
natural landscape that gives the Cemetery
its unique character and contributes to its
beauty. Over the last several years, we have
redoubled our efforts to protect and preserve
the monuments, tombs, and mausolea that
tell stories of the individuals laid to rest here.
Thanks to generous support from donors,
as well as federal and state grants, we have
been able to work with conservators to assess
and conserve many of our most significant
monuments. Our own Preservation team
does most of the heavy lifting, though,
bearing responsibility for the care of fragile
Vice President of Preservation & Facilities Gus Fraser (in
red jacket) discusses the William F. Harnden (1812–1845)
monument, Lot 886 on Central Avenue at Mount Auburn
Cemetery, with a group of fellow admirers.
nineteenth-century monuments, cast iron
fences, signs, tombs, and mausolea.
Preservation of our monuments benefits
from thoughtful changes and enhancements
to the landscape in which they sit. Planting
flowering groundcovers rather than grass
around monuments or within cast iron fence
lots, for example, minimizes maintenance
traffic and requires less equipment in and
around burial lots. Removal of dense shrub
plantings opens up views of significant
monuments while also improving air
circulation, which can aid in drying and
reduce damaging biological growth over the
long term. Often, however, it is simply the
increased attention brought by a new planting
plan that will spur interest in, and sometimes
funding for, preservation treatments for
surrounding monuments.
The evolution of Mount Auburn’s landscape
can be read in the arrangement and style of
monuments, in its plantings, and in the shaping
of the topography. This evolution speaks to
us about the vision of the founders as well as
each succeeding generation that has shaped
the Cemetery in support of that original vision.
History is recorded in the changing art and
nature of Mount Auburn, and as stewards we
are charged with preserving that history while
pursuing innovative changes that document
the tastes and customs of our own time.
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