The Wainwright Tomb is a
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
located in
Bellefontaine Cemetery
Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
. Originally constructed for Charlotte Dickson Wainwright in 1892, the tomb also contains the remains of her husband,
Ellis Wainwright
Ellis Wainwright (August 3, 1850 – November 6, 1924) was an American capitalist, brewer, art collector and socialite from St. Louis, Missouri. He was President of the St. Louis Brewing Company and Director of the St. Louis and Suburban Company ...
. The mausoleum was designed by noted
Chicago school architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...
, who also designed the
Wainwright Building
The Wainwright Building (also known as the Wainwright State Office Building) is a 10-story, terra cotta office building at 709 Chestnut Street in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. The Wainwright Building is considered to be one of the first aestheti ...
for Ellis Wainwright.
[National Register of Historic Places Registration Form.]
History
Shortly after the construction of the Wainwright Building in
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the eas ...
(itself now a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
), the "young and beautiful" wife of wealthy St. Louis brewery owner Ellis Wainwright died.
Wainwright commissioned Louis Sullivan to design a tomb for his wife and himself, which was completed in 1892. In 1901, Wainwright fled the United States after being indicted for
bribery
Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...
, but he later returned and died in St. Louis in 1924, then was entombed with his wife. After his death, an endowment was established that provided for the reconstruction or renovation of the tomb in case of earthquake or vandalism.
The tomb was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on June 15, 1970 and became a
St. Louis Landmark
St. Louis Landmark is a designation of the Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis for historic buildings and other sites in St. Louis, Missouri. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, such as whether the site is ...
in 1971.
[St. Louis City Cultural Resources Office.]
Architecture and significance
The tomb is a domed cubic building with walls of concrete covered in limestone on the exterior. On the northeast (front) side of the tomb is the entrance with a double-leafed bronze grill and double-doors. The sides of the tomb each have windows, also covered in bronze grills. The limestone walls are carved with floral patterns that do not repeat. The interior of the tomb has two burial slabs and a
mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
floor and ceiling. The Wainwright Tomb has significance as a work of Louis Sullivan, and it has been described as "the most sensitive and the most graceful of Sullivan's tombs" and as "one of Sullivan's masterpieces."
See also
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Getty Tomb
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Ryerson Tomb
Notes
References
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External links
Architectural detail drawings of the Wainwright TombBellefontaine Cemetery Wainwright Tomb sitePhotographs of restored mosaics in the tomb
{{Louis Sullivan
Buildings and structures completed in 1892
Landmarks of St. Louis
Monuments and memorials in Missouri
National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis
Cubic buildings
Buildings and structures in St. Louis
Tourist attractions in St. Louis
Art Nouveau architecture in Missouri
Art Nouveau sculptures and memorials
1892 establishments in Missouri
Chicago school architecture in Missouri