I finally got inside.
It was worth the wait. The tour was great fun, with volunteers from the preservation society stepping out of the crypts of the people they were portraying (in costume) (one was the great-great-grandson of the gentleman he portrayed) and talking about "their" life story. Fascinating stuff. Some of the people they focused on were a several-term, popular mayor of Columbus, a prominent circus owner, Thurston the Magician, a Civil War soldier, and J.C. Penney's brother, H.R. Penney. They all did a great job. I will go back as frequently as they do this.
The building itself was so cold. So, so cold ... it was 65 degrees and quite nice outside, but inside, it was one cold pile of marble. The volunteers had scrubbed it out (resorting at one point to a leaf blower to get the inch of dust off the floors) and done a nice job, but just as its sister mausoleum, Amaranth Abbey smelled lovely, Green Lawn smelled ... let's just delicately say, off.
I know enough about mausoleums to have an idea why, too. And I'd have been so very disappointed if it didn't smell like that. :D
The outside:
Looking directly up at the pediment:
The ceiling, first floor:
The casket, (I am assured it was empty) used for effect:
A few more here, at my Flickr site.
Thanks for coming by all month, for following and commenting and downloading and helping make Halloween so much fun this year.
No post for tomorrow, and then on Monday, we'll turn the lights back on in this crypt.
Posts
18 comments:
That is deliciously spooky! Did you get the shivers? And thanks for describing the smell... nice touch! This was definitely the grand finale!
I have loved your blog all month long -- it has been so much fun to check in and get the spirits, er, the spirit of things.
You're the best!
xoxo
Great blog Dane.
Happy Halloween.
That shot of the pediment alone is worth the wait...that's some seriously ominous masonry.
Congratulations on finally getting in, and thanks for making Halloween last one day longer this year. :)
Wow. . . what a great Halloween event! I'd be going back every year too! And I'll bet the smell made a nice atmospheric touch. . . even if it was unintentional.
Loved your countdown. I'll be following along in the future.
My oh my, that is one imposingly evil mausoleum. And how clever to have actors in dress-up step out and narrate as the deceased. Did you get any photos of them too?
I put flowers on Sharon Tate's grave one year (Holy Cross in Culver City CA) and saw a guy dressed in a cape walk by. I was watching him and made a mental note where he stopped and stood for a moment. After he left I walked over and discovered it was Bela Lugosi's grave! They're buried very close to one anoter (Bing Crosby is just a few steps away too.) The whole acre is like a Hot Bed Hub of Famous Dead.
Thanks, Dane, for a month's worth of spookiness. It was great visiting these beautiful sites with you.
Could not help but chime in and comment on the wonderful coda that has been AEAE for October. The second “upward” shot is beautiful and eerie all at once. For me though, I like the ceiling shot. For some reason with the decay in the air, it appears to be a creeping black swirl pattern around the light. Nice effect. As an aside, Marion Cemetery did something like that a few years back…with the actors. I was one of them…ha, ha. Like all the rest here…cheers on a fab site!
And as for the famous dead Mr. Karswell…I did not see Ms. Tate, but I did the L.A. celeb tour years ago. My particular favorite was not too far from the Marilyn Monroe crypt. It was an empty plot of ground. No marker, no stone. Just ground. None other than Frank Zappa underneath.
This is so very cool! Thank you for sharing. Your photos are like scenes from a movie...but only better!
RE: the smell; the more I think about it, if it were what I thought it was, there would have been visual evidence as well, and there wasn't anywhere. I think now that the smell was almost certainly the rot and mildew from the water damage in the ceiling. (You can see clear evidence in the third picture)
I was told while I was there that they are trying to raise $30,000 asap to fix the roof; I was also told that if they don't, they are afraid the building won't be salvageable within 5-10 years.
Karen: No shivers, no vibes! Thank you so much - you are so sweet and supportive.
Thank you, lubbert das!
Greg - the pediment shot is probably the best of the lot ... and I'm always happy to provide an October 32 and maybe a 33rd. :)
Halloween Spirit - Thanks, and I intend to keep up with you too!
Steve: I got so wrapped up in talking to the actors afterward that I completely forgot to get pictures of them! I am very unhappy, because I would have loved to have some. :(
Also:
I put flowers on Sharon Tate's grave one year
You big softie.
Sheherazade: Thank you for joining me! You are welcome any time.
Todd: Thanks, and if you like that ceiling pattern made by the light, there's a closer view of one of the lights over on Flickr.
So you were one of the actors? Who did you portray? Do they still do this, because I wouldn't mind going.
I'd heard Zappa was unmarked. I find that so sad.
Jenn: Thank you so much for coming by here!
Those are beautiful shots, Dane. I checked out the ones on your flickr account too. It was all well worth the wait. Thanks for sharing.
John, for someone with your artistic ability to say such kind things about my photos means an awful lot to me. Thank you so much.
Great light on the second photo!
I got the tripod out of the car for that one!
Yes. I am not known for my “acting” skills. (Other things, but not that.) I will find out about them still doing this tour, but this was about 4 or 5 years back now. Embarrassed as I am I do not recall the last name of the fellow I was portraying. He was connected to the Power Shovel and invested quite a sum there. Nothing sinister or evil. I have a picture somewhere that I tried to “art up” of the stone. You’ve probably been there. It is the angel looking down on a set of steps. The Sweeny name sticks with me for some reason.
Yes! This one. So he was connected with the Power Shovel, huh? Interesting.
That's the one.
I've been dying to see your photos for a week of this place since my computer died Saturday. So I'm finally back online.
Anyway your photos are great especially the second one! So glad you finally got in there and had a great time!
Your blog is one of the best photo blogs out there and its especially fun during the Halloween season. The Halloween countdown wouldn be kinda dull without your blog.
By now, I've told you this elsewhere, but I feel awful for you about your computer! Mine got a virus in July, and I had to take it in. Thankfully, I lost only my stored email for the last couple of years, but that was enough. I hope you didn't lose anything.
And that last paragraph full of compliments made my whole week. Given how many blogs there are participating, and how much fun your own output is, I really appreciate that, Mr. Mayor.
Post a Comment