Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Schoenhofen Mausoleum
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| Location | Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States |
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| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Richard E. Schmidt |
| Architectural style | Egyptian Revival |
| Part of | Graceland Cemetery (ID00001628) |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 2001 |
The Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum is a unique tomb located in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. It was designed by a famous architect named Richard E. Schmidt. This special building was created as a family tomb for Peter Schoenhofen, who was a well-known brewer in Chicago.
History of the Pyramid Mausoleum
Peter Schoenhofen was a famous brewer in Chicago. He was born in 1827 in a place called Dörbach, which was then part of Prussia. Peter Schoenhofen passed away in 1893. His company, the Schoenhofen Brewing Company, was one of the biggest in Chicago by 1880.
The Schoenhofen family's tomb was designed by Richard E. Schmidt. He was an architect from the Chicago School, a group known for their building styles. Construction on the mausoleum started on July 1, 1893. This pyramid-shaped tomb is very famous around the world. It is one of the most photographed tombs at Graceland Cemetery.
What Does the Mausoleum Look Like?
The Schoenhofen Pyramid Mausoleum is a steep-sided tomb. Like many monuments in Chicago's Graceland Cemetery, it is built in the Egyptian Revival style. This means it looks like ancient Egyptian buildings. The tomb is a family mausoleum made from gray granite. The pyramid shape sits on top of a square base.
You can see interesting statues around the entrance:
The design of the pyramid mixes both Egyptian symbols, like the sphinx, and Christian symbols, like the angel. The door to the pyramid looks like the famous gateways found at Karnak in Egypt. It is 40 inches wide and 84 inches high. A bronze frame shaped like bundled reeds goes around the door. The doors themselves have designs of lotus flowers with coiled asp snakes around the handles.
Even though it's called a pyramid, its design is only inspired by Egyptian styles. The angel on the tomb is clearly not Egyptian. Even the sphinx only takes ideas from Egyptian architecture.
Some other historical buildings are similar to the Schoenhofen Mausoleum. For example, the Roman pyramid tomb of Caius Cestius is seen as an older version of this type of design. Other related works include a pyramid by Louis Carrogis Carmontelle in Paris and a tomb for Maria Christina Habsburg in Vienna.
See also
In Spanish: Mausoleo de la pirámide de Schoenhofen para niños
