Mount Hope Cemetery: 1838 Garden Cemetery & Architectural Guide

Why Mount Hope Cemetery is famous

Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York is one of the most important cemeteries in the United States. It opened in 1838. It was the first city owned rural style cemetery in America. The rural cemetery movement reshaped American funerary design across the 1800s. Mount Hope was an early example of that change. The cemetery was named a National Historic Landmark in 2018. It got that status for its design, its intact landscape, and the depth of its memorial collection.

The cemetery covers 196 acres on a hillside above the Genesee River. The grounds were laid out as a designed park. There are winding carriage roads, rolling lawns, ravines, and old trees. The rural cemetery model began with Père Lachaise in Paris (1804) and Mount Auburn in Cambridge (1831). Mount Hope’s role was to show that an American city, not just a private corporation, could run a rural cemetery. The model spread to hundreds of cities across the United States after that.

Mount Hope holds more than 350,000 burials. It is still an active city cemetery. The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery run guided architectural and history tours during the warmer months.

Where is Mount Hope Cemetery?

Mount Hope Cemetery is at 1133 Mount Hope Avenue in Rochester, New York. The main entrance is on Mount Hope Avenue near the University of Rochester campus. The cemetery is open every day from 7:00 AM to dusk. There is no fee.

Architectural and landscape character

The design of Mount Hope is its key feature. Silas Cornell laid out the grounds in the 1830s using rural cemetery rules. Curved roads follow the natural landscape. Family plots sit on rolling slopes. The ravines and overlooks are used for dramatic effect. The result feels more like a planned park than a cemetery. Many sections are now over 180 years old.

The memorial styles cover the cemetery’s full history. Pioneer era and early Victorian markers from the 1840s and 1850s include weathered marble obelisks, draped urns, and angel sculptures. High Victorian monuments from the 1870s and 1880s include sculpted figures, plot enclosures, and the cemetery’s most ornate mausoleums. Edwardian era family monuments from the 1900s and 1910s use classical revival forms in granite. Mid 1900s and contemporary markers show the shift to flat granite and bronze plaques.

The architectural highlights include the 1862 Florentine Gateway, the 1872 chapel and gazebo at the entrance, several Greek Revival and Egyptian Revival mausoleums, and a strong collection of 19th century memorial sculpture.

The mausoleums are the most cited features at Mount Hope. The Hiram Sibley mausoleum is one of the largest private mausoleums of 19th century America. It was built in classical Greek Revival style with Doric columns and a thick granite core. Several other Greek Revival and Egyptian Revival mausoleums sit in the same area. Together they show the ambition of mid Victorian Rochester families.

The gateway, chapel, and gazebo at the main entrance form a single building group that defines the rural cemetery look of the period. They were built in the 1860s and 1870s. The buildings give the cemetery the formal feel of a public park.

Frederick Douglass’s grave is plain by comparison. It is a granite family plot marker. But it is one of the most visited graves in any American cemetery. It is preserved as an important site of African American history.

Visiting Mount Hope Cemetery

Mount Hope Cemetery is open every day from 7:00 AM to dusk. Admission is free. The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery offer free guided architectural and history walking tours from May through October. The tours are a great option for first time visitors who want to understand the cemetery’s architecture.

Where is Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester?
Mount Hope Cemetery is at 1133 Mount Hope Avenue in Rochester, New York 14620. It covers 196 acres along the Genesee River.

Why is Mount Hope Cemetery a National Historic Landmark?
Mount Hope was named a National Historic Landmark in 2018 for three reasons. It was the first city owned rural style cemetery in the United States. The 1838 landscape design by Silas Cornell is still mostly intact. The monument and mausoleum collection is one of the strongest 19th century funeral collections in North America.

Who is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery?
Famous burials at Mount Hope include Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Nathaniel Rochester (the city’s namesake), Hiram Sibley (founder of Western Union), and Lewis Henry Morgan. The cemetery has more than 350,000 burials in total.

Is Mount Hope Cemetery open to the public?
Yes. The cemetery is open every day from 7:00 AM to dusk. Admission is free. Free guided architectural and history tours run from May through October.