One of the more curious concerns among residents was the eerie goings on at the Chinese cemetery near Point Lobos. The story goes that to provide sustenance to the spirits, Chinese residents would often leave delicacies and meat on the gravestones of loved ones during funerals.
Opportunistic vagrants would walk the cemetery at night and feast on the offerings. The problem became a major point of contention at the time, and in , Mayor James D. Phelan signed an order "prohibiting the burial of the dead within the city and county of San Francisco. It was officially illegal to get buried in San Francisco.
Or as a later Examiner story read, "Burial became as unlawful as peddling dope on Eddy Street. The newspapers wrote of skeletons being stolen and the city's poor camping out above the dead. Column inches sensationalized the issue to fuel development on the land.
Headlines included "Criminal element resorts to burial grounds," and even "Vaults now headquarters for dope fiends. It took decades of political fighting, largely pitting real estate developers eyeing the acres of house-ready land against the church, to decide what to do with the cemeteries that had become a nuisance to the city. It was finally decided that the buried bodies from the big four cemeteries would be moved out of the city limits, and after many more years of city politics, the ugly process of moving thousands of dead over the city border to San Mateo County began in the late s.
The cemeteries were paved and built upon as real estate developers had desired. The crematorium in Odd Fellows that butted up against the Columbarium was demolished, alongside various mausoleums.
Many of the headstones were used to build a seawall at Aquatic Park, and some still line the sidewalks of Buena Vista Park. Many bodies were left behind; in , excavation for the renovated Legion of Honor Museum at Land's End uncovered at least bodies, and it's believed that there are many more still under Lincoln Park Golf Course.
Though the Columbarium survived the demolition of the graveyards, the outlawing of cremation in the city meant the landmark had no way to generate income, and it fell into disrepair for many decades. But the building was again saved from the fate of the long gone surrounding buildings for the dead when, in , the Neptune Society of Northern California bought it and restored it to its current, ornate state.
And in , the building was added to the register of San Francisco Designated Landmarks. After being closed through much of the coronavirus pandemic, the Columbarium is open again to the public.
As you enter, a quiet fills the sacred space, as the foot high rotunda above you centers the three-floor structure.
Eight rooms surround the main atrium, named after mythological winds. The columbarium staff is happy to work with you to customize your cremation niche or vault. Our experienced funeral home associates are dedicated to honoring your funeral and cremation needs and wishes.
Columbaria also present an economical and earth-friendly alternative to traditional in-ground burial, as cremations can be performed without embalming chemicals. There are also no cemetery lawns that require landscaping maintenance. Unlike in-ground burial, cremation niches are highly customizable. The columbarium was originally part of the Odd Fellows Cemetery open that stretched over acres of land.
But it was the perfect location for a crematorium and columbarium. As the city grew, land became scarce and prices rose. In , the property where the crematorium, columbarium and cemetery stood became annexed into the City of San Francisco.
In , cremations were outlawed in San Francisco and the crematorium was destroyed. Two years later, the city went a step further and evicted the dead from the cemetery, moving many of them to the city of Colma, which to this day has more dead residents than living ones. Today, the property's Rossi Pool marks the spot where the crematorium once stood.
With no way to generate income from new burials and cremations, the columbarium fell into disrepair and changed ownership many times. In , San Francisco Columbarium was set to be demolished but received protection from the Homestead Act.
However, the building remained neglected for nearly 50 more years. Then, in , the Neptune Society of Northern California bought the columbarium. With help from master craftsmen, the arduous task of restoring the building to its original splendor began. Today, the columbarium stands fully and artfully restored. For many, this cost—which came during the Great Depression—was too much to bear. Unclaimed stone from mausoleums and headstones were crushed and used to build seawalls in the Marina District, walking paths in Buena Vista and Aquatic Parks where visitors can see epitaphs at low tide , and the Wave Organ near St.
Francis Yacht Club. The hastiness of the move to Colma meant that some Odd Fellows Cemetery burials were left behind. Several news articles, some as recent as , report that homeowners and children have found remains of the former cemetery, which was moved a century ago. San Francisco Columbarium is home to many of San Francisco's most well-known and influential citizens.
Visitors will recognize names like Eddy, Steiner, Haight, Page and Shattuck, who were famous residents and have been memorialized throughout the city with streets bearing their names. Many who died during the s AIDS epidemic are interred at the columbarium. Stuffed teddy bears with rainbow scarfs—a memorial to Harvey Milk—and other touching tributes can be seen in the cremation niches in the Hall of Olympians.
The columbarium was one of the few structures to survive. Our office and cemetery visiting hours are Monday thru Friday 9am - 5pm. However, we are always able to serve you day or night at View Other San Francisco Columbariums. The following are included with the price shown. Please contact us to customize your own arrangements. Our prepaid plans are transferable to any of the qualifying Dignity Memorial providers in North America.
Prices are for services only and exclude products such as casket, urn, cremation container, cemetery property or cemetery services. Prices vary based on your selections. Keep in mind that taxes, state fees, and certain additional items such as death certificates may change your total when completing the arrangement process. Contact this Dignity Memorial provider for additional information. View arrangements. Honor the memory of your loved one with cemetery flower placement.
You choose the flowers. You choose the months. We do the rest. Not finding what you are looking for? Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our other locations. Search for your loved one's obituary across any of our Washelli locations. Since , many of our customers have taken the time to tell us how we did each year via our Voice of the Customer program.
Our star ratings and comments from families come directly from these surveys. I could praise Crystal for her extensive knowledge and experience, her keen ability to anticipate issues, her aesthetic sensibility, her honesty and integrity, her caring and patience, and her ready availability and quick responsiveness. It made the entire ordeal of settling remains, which was new and foreign to me, so much easier to navigate.
But what really stood out was how she treated my family as if she were a family member, trying to give my mother the best remembrance possible. That engendered a lot of trust in her judgment and advice.
To have such a wonderful experience stemming from such a sad loss was very gratifying. Verified Customer. Our funeral director Linda Mac Shoeppe was exceptional and kept us informed at every step so the family knew exactly what was happening. We couldn't have been better attended and cared for at such a difficult time.
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