Abbey Mausoleum

Abbey Mausoleum was a mausoleum in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States founded in 1924. One of the most luxurious burial places in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, many famous individuals, judges, and military leaders were buried there. The mausoleum encountered financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy in 1966. It suffered vandalism numerous times, and several graves were desecrated. Remains buried there were disinterred and reburied elsewhere, and it was demolished in February 2001. Several architectural features of the structure were salvaged. It was located just outside Arlington National Cemetery next to Henderson Hall.

Abbey Mausoleum was built in 1924 by the U.S. Mausoleum Company. The land was owned by the Syphax family. Maria Custis Syphax, the matriarch of the family, was the mulatto daughter of George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington and founder of the Arlington Estate on the banks of the Potomac River (later the home of Robert E. Lee). The Syphax family sold the land to John Dormoyle in 1901, who then sold it to Frederick Rice in 1924. Rice subdivided the property into two lots, and sold one lot to the U.S. Mausoleum Company the same year. The 18,000 square feet (1,700 m2) lot was rectangular in shape and located next to the Hobson Gate of Arlington National Cemetery. The 50,193 square feet (4,663.1 m2) structure was Neoclassical in style (although it has also been described as Romanesque Revival). The single-story structure was made of granite, with the interior and exterior clad in white Italian marble. The foundation was made of reinforced concrete, and the roof consisted of reinforced concrete ceiling, roof beams, and roof. The roof was externally clad in asphalt roofing materials. The entire structure was 19.5 feet (5.9 m) from grade to rooftop. The floor was a 6 inches (15 cm) marble base. Stained-glass windows by Tiffany Studios provided light. There were 654 crypts, stacked six high below 16.3-foot (5.0 m) high ceilings. Crypts included 60 niches for cremated remains. Interior light was provided by skylights. Abbey Mausoleum contained two types of coffin vaults: casket vaults and couch vaults. Casket and couch vaults were made of concrete, and sometimes lined with paper. Once a vault was occupied, it would be sealed with concrete. A marble plate (or "shutter") was screwed into the wall to cover the vault. Cremation niches were also made of concrete, but rarely lined with paper and not sealed with concrete. Their sole seal was the marble shutter. The mausoleum was constructed by Stone Mountain Granite Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia. It was dedicated on March 26, 1926, although it was completed in 1927. U.S. Mausoleum encountered financial difficulties in 1927, and sold the building and grounds to the Stone Mountain Granite Corporation before dissolving. In 1928, a new corporation, Abbey Mausoleum Inc., was formed by local D.C. area businessmen, and it purchased the crypt and land from Stone Mountain Granite. Abbey Mausoleum Inc. then purchased in 1928 the second lot offered for sale by Rice, and invested additional funds to complete the finishing touches on the crypt. The first interment was that of Lilla Jewel Kenney. The date of her interment is not entirely clear, but it could have been as early as February 25, 1925, or before March 26, 1925, or before the mausoleum's completion in 1927. Over the next three decades, Abbey Mausoleum interred 245 remains in crypts and 60 remains in cremation niches.

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