Oak Ridge Cemetery - Springfield, Illinois - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

"Oak Ridge Cemetery is locally significant in the areas of significance are Landscape Architecture, Art and Architecture. Designed by William Saunders between 1860-18661 Oak Ridge Cemetery is a significant representative example of the rural cemetery -- an important philosophical and design movement in landscape architecture. Rural cemeteries, "planned as serene and spacious grounds, came to be looked on as public parks, places of respite and recreation acclaimed for their beauty and usefulness to society." They became the models which " ... started a movement for urban parks." The period of significance for Landscape Architecture is from 1855 to 1945. This period profiles the cemetery's full development from the first purchase of wooded ravine acreage through the development of a fully controlled landscape and growth to the present size of the historic section... The period of significance for architecture is 1860 - 1912, which begins with the original construction date of the Lincoln/public receiving vault in 1860 as well as dates of the Tomb Custodian's residence and historic mausolea. Oak Ridge Cemetery contains five contributing buildings -- The Lincoln Tomb Custodian's Residence, Custodian's Stable, a large Classical Revival public mausoleum ("The Abbey") and two service buildings. There are seven noncontributing buildings -- the Office, former Superintendent's Residence, Bell tower, Mausoleum of 1973, Public Rest Rooms of circa 1994 and two metal service buildings. Abraham Lincoln's Tomb (1869-1900-1931) and four mausolea are contributing structures. There are five noncontributing structures -- the main gates and four service buildings. The period of significance for Art is 1850 to 1940 representing the period from which the contributing objects date. These objects are representative examples from the fine collections of monuments and grave markers illustrative of artistic trends in funerary art during the period of significance. 1850 represents those gravemarkers brought in from earlier (usually Hutchinson Cemetery) graveyards and made before Oak Ridge opened in 1855. Oak Ridge embodies principals of the Rural Cemetery movement significant within the area of Landscape Architecture, containing significant examples of Classical Revival and Romanesque Revival architecture and including an array of gravemarkers and monuments representing common artistic values in funerary art from the 19th through the early 20th century." - National Register Nomination form

Lincoln's Tomb is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Street address: 1441 Monument Ave. Springfield, County / Borough / Parish: Sangamon Year listed: 1995 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1850-1874, 1875-1899, 1875-1899, 1900-1924, 1925-1949 Historic function: Funerary Current function: Funerary Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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