Mount Auburn Cemetery / William Rawn Associates

Mount Auburn Cemetery, consecrated in 1831 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003, is recognized as one of the most important designed landscapes in the country. The design ideals it embodies served as the model for the rural cemetery movement and for the creation of urban parks across America in the latter half of the 19th century. The ambitious founders of Mount Auburn Cemetery democratized the designed landscape, creating a realm of natural beauty where, without restrictions on religion or race, the living mourner would come to find solace and the public would come to find inspiration.  This spirit of innovation has guided the Cemetery for almost two centuries, placing Mount Auburn at the vanguard of evolving practices for commemorating and honoring the dead.