Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery was founded in 1869 is a sprawling 285-acre facility with more than 100,000 gravesites — along with countless trees, shrubs and flower plantings, rock formations, animals and birds, trails and more. It’s a paradise for strollers and photographers and a great place to observe the change of seasons. It’s also a repository of Cleveland history where many of its tycoons, politicians, sports figures, civic leaders and others are buried (along with ordinary people, of course), some of whom built elaborate masoleums there. It also includes such contemporary figures as disc jockey Alan Freed, frequently credited as one of the godfathers of rock & roll, former congressman Louis Stokes and his brother, former mayor Carl Stokes, artist/designer Viktor Schreckengost, and comic book writer Harvey Pekar.
The cemetery usually has a full schedule of walking tours — horticultural, geological, historical, sculptural, photographic, wildlife-related and more — but those are cancelled for now. And its lovely Wade Chapel, as well as its James A. Garfield Memorial, the resting place of our 20th president and his wife, are closed for now. But the grounds are open daily to enjoy the lovely surroundings. Some flowers are already out, and more will be blooming every day. And the architecture of the mausoleums and the statuary scattered throughout the grounds are always on view.
12316 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106