Martin Ryerson Tomb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Martin Ryerson Mausoleum
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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The front elevation of the Martin Ryerson Tomb.
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| Location | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Louis Sullivan |
| Architectural style | Egyptian Revival |
| Part of | Graceland Cemetery (ID00001628) |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 2001 |
The Martin Ryerson Tomb is a special building in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was designed by a famous architect named Louis Sullivan. This tomb was finished in 1889 and looks like ancient Egyptian buildings.
History of the Ryerson Tomb
The tomb is named after Martin L. Ryerson, who was a very rich man in Chicago. He made his money from selling wood and buying and selling land. Martin L. Ryerson lived from 1818 to 1887.
Both he and his son, Martin Ryerson, Jr., asked architect Louis Sullivan to design several buildings in Chicago. Martin Ryerson, Jr. asked Sullivan to design this tomb in 1887. It was finished in 1889. The tomb is located in the Lakeside part of Graceland Cemetery.
Design and Architecture
The Martin Ryerson Tomb was designed by the well-known architect Louis H. Sullivan. He used a style called Egyptian Revival. This means the building looks like ancient Egyptian structures.
Sullivan's design mixes two types of Egyptian buildings: the pyramid and the mastaba. A mastaba is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb that has sloped walls. The bottom part of the tomb looks like a mastaba and has three windows.
The tomb is made from large, shiny blocks of Quincy granite. Its design was inspired by ancient Egyptian traditions for burying the dead. The outside of the tomb does not have any Egyptian symbols. It has a door right in the middle and a simple flat edge at the top.
The roof of the tomb has a tower, and on top of that tower is a stepped pyramid. What makes this tomb special is that it looks Egyptian because of its dark, heavy shape, not because of fancy Egyptian decorations. Inside the tomb, there is one of Sullivan's famous arch designs. This arch frames a statue of Ryerson.
The Ryerson Mausoleum is one of only three tombs that Louis Sullivan designed. The Getty Tomb, which was finished a year after the Ryerson Tomb, is also in Graceland Cemetery. The third tomb Sullivan designed is the Wainwright Tomb in St. Louis, Missouri.
Why the Tomb is Important
The Ryerson Tomb is special among Egyptian Revival tombs because it doesn't have obvious Egyptian decorations on the outside. This makes it very unique. It is considered one of the most important Egyptian Revival buildings in the United States.
The Ryerson Tomb is also a part of the Graceland Cemetery's listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
See also
In Spanish: Tumba de Martin Ryerson para niños
