The San Francisco Columbarium

I am dragging my vast (and half-vast) web readership into a purely personal matter. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience suffered by innocent byreaders.

My sister Deanna recently hosted a birthday party to celebrate her **th birthday at her home in Novato, California. My friend Sue and I attended, as did several of Deanna's other family and friends. During the evening's festivities, I expounded at some length on my admiration for the city of San Francisco- its people, weather, and architecture.

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One of my favorite interesting buildings in San Francisco is the Columbarium, a neoclassical structure which houses thousands of urns containing burial ashes. Deanna had never seen nor heard of this building. Deanna's friend, Rich, a lifelong resident of San Francisco and its immediate environs, also had no knowledge of the Columbarium. Deanna's daughter, Lorna, and Lorna's fiancé Matt, both longtime residents of the Bay Area, were unaware of the Columbarium. In fact, all of these Bay Area residents expressed serious doubts as to the very existence of such an establishment. Sue and I tried with all our powers of persuasion to convince these doubters as to the accuracy of our memories, all to no avail. This article is offered as evidence of what remains of our senility-impaired sanity.

While doing research on the Web for this article, I ran across the following description of the Columbarium. I can't recall the source, so if the originator is concerned about my use, and if he will contact me, I will be glad to add the attribution.

SAN FRANCISCO COLUMBARIUM
One Loraine Court
San Francisco, CA 94118
Telephone (415) 221-1838

One of San Francisco's overlooked jewels is the Neptune Society's repository for ashes, largest in the Western U.S. It survived both the 1906 earthquake and a 1937 ordinance outlawing cemeteries in the city. The copper dome, looming over 3 acres of gardens, encloses inlaid marble floors, stained-glass windows, tiered circular balconies and ceiling mosaics. It serves as a memorial chapel and hosts concerts and civic events. Free tours are available.

A map showing the Columbarium's location in San Francisco.

A side view of the exterior of the Columbarium.

The name above the front door of the Columbarium.

An interior view of the Columbarium, showing the elaborate decor.

Well, I certainly feel better now!

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