Vault – RDZ Photography

New Orleans is famous for their approach towards funerals and burials. Because of their location the city has always taken a unique approach towards cemeteries. Instead of burying people in the grown New Orleans has always gone vertical.

Because of the popularity, and vandalism, you must attend a tour to check out the cemetery. Our tour guide was fantastic – combining humor with knowledge.

The cemetery is the oldest in town, dating from the late 1700s.

There have been a number of construction approaches over the years for the vertical vaults. As a result there are tens of thousands of remains throughout the cemetery.

Most are owned by individual families. Many have small fences surrounding them to delineate their space.

Over the years some have been maintained more than others. The original brick ones have had their mortar dry up and fall out, with the fix being to cover them in stucco.

From certain angles they appear to be additional downtown buildings.

A few have tributes – not sure what an angel and a voodoo head symbolize.

The visuals throughout are stunning.

Some of the other tour participants fit the mood.

One of the interesting aspects is the ‘common’ space. If you don’t have a family crypt, or you have ‘lost your lease’, you are placed into the large community vault. There are literally thousands of remains there.

The history of New Orleans and cemeteries is a very interesting one. With the guide we had we learned much, and were able to experience the macabre beauty of the St Louis Cemetery #1.

Doors Open continues…

Smithfield Church – The church was completed in 1927, at the corner of Smithfield Street and Strawberry Way.

The church was built by the German Evangelical Protestant Church, and has German sayings throughout.

As with the other downtown churches, the Smithfield Church has an impressive organ.

As well as the stained glass.

The HYP Club – The Harvard, Yale, Princeton Club of Pittsburgh has a small 2 floor building surrounded by skyscrapers.

The Alcoa Building towers over it’s neighbor.

The interior itself was nice, but not noteworthy. We did have an enjoyable conversation with one of the hostesses, learning much about the club – which interesting is no longer restricted to just alumni of Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

Pittsburgh Engineers Building – Daniel Burnham’s first Pittsburgh building was the 1899 Union Trust Company. Built in 1899 for Andrew Mellon and Henry Clay Frick, it was noteworthy for it’s safe.

The bank left long ago, but the safe is still there.

The Engineering Society of Pittsburgh has taken over the building, and has a club/restaurant that celebrates the engineering of Pittsburgh, with an emphasis on the bridges.

William Penn Hotel – The William Penn Hotel, a classic old school hotel, was opened in 1916. Over the years it has hosted many famous people, including numerous presidents.

Situated along Grant Street, it has long been the center of society in Pittsburgh.

The main lobby.

The lower level has the famous Speakeasy Bar, so named because of it’s reputation during prohibition.

The hotel has a collection of artifacts including Lawernce Welk’s first bubble machine (for those too young google or youtube Lawrence Welk)

The Pennsylvanian – While it was officially called Union Station, the major train station at the corner of Liberty and Grant was always more commonly known as Penn Station, as the only railroad it served was the Pennsylvania Railroad

As you approach the station you are greeted by a great rotunda that was once used by carriages arriving and departing.

The ceiling of the rotunda is one of the master pieces of the city, and of Daniel Burnham’s career.

The rotunda is worth a number of looks…

Immediately inside is a smaller room that greeted passengers.

The Main Hall, with it’s high ceilings and skylights, continue to impress people today. After the buildings restoration in the 1980s to apartments, this hall has been used for functions like weddings and meetings.