Fairleigh Mausoleum - Mount Mora Cemetery - St. Joseph, Missouri
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
N 39° 46.484 W 094° 50.515
15S E 342254 N 4404377
The Fairleigh Mausoleum is the second mausoleum on the right encountered on the Mausoleum Row - the road going straight when entering the Cemetery - 824 Mount Mora Road in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WMHA51
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 06/13/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 3

Date unknown
Architect/Builder: unknown

The Fairleigh Mausoleum is built of finely finished light-colored gray granite in a flamboyant Egyptian Revival style. The shape is basically rectangular; at each side elevation, however, is a shallow projection to cornice height and nearly the full width of the structure. These projections house the coffin niches to either side of the entry. Where the projections meet the main structure, there is an "inside corner", resulting in a more interesting building shape.

The building is smaller at the cornice than it is at ground level. The structure slopes inward from a pronounced cavetto base; each wall continues at a gentle angle until it meets the cornice where a deep cavetto cornice flares outward to a simple squared fascia. Below the curve of the cornice is a narrow raised band, which is continuous around all four elevations with a broad architrave below. On the rear elevation there are broad pilasters at either building corner. Small recessed bronze ventilation grilles on the side and rear elevations are positioned below the frieze band and above the cavetto base. The roof is composed of two huge dressed slabs of granite, the top slab smaller than the upper, both recessed from the cornice edge.

On the facade, there is a raised carving of the sun with wings projecting to either side and flanked with serpentine adders or asps. This Egyptian motif (called the "solar disc") is centered above the entry on the face of the frieze beneath the cornice. On the architrave below the raised band is the incised name "FAIRLEIGH". An immense pilaster supports the architrave at either corner, with additional support from freestanding stone columns framing the deeply recessed entry. The base of the columns has a stylized lotiform pattern carved into the shaft, rising with virtually no taper to a ringed pattern below a pronounced palmetto capita with a small block abacus directly beneath the architrave. The recessed entry is raised on a large single granite slab with paired bronze doors centered in the recess. Each door has a round bronze door pull with a dependent scarab beetle figured into the pull. Long panels are defined on each door by stylized lotus blossom molding.

On the interior, the floor is a single slab of smooth dressed granite. The ceiling, also a single slab of dressed granite, has several shallow recessed panels that provide the only relief to the plain surface. A single panel is centered on the end wall with a stylized cross incised with a lily motif. On either side are smooth and polished crypt faces that are lightly incised with rosette patterns above and flanked with stylized long-stemmed lotus flowers. Small bronze rosettes affix the stone crypt covers.

- National Register Application

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Mount Mora Cemetery

Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link]

NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link]

Address:
824 Mount Mora Road
St Joseph, Missouri 64501


How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below)

Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]

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dittocat visited Fairleigh Mausoleum - Mount Mora Cemetery - St. Joseph, Missouri 06/08/2021 dittocat visited it