Cemetery nominated as a historic site

Known as the final resting place of many famous people, Woodlawn Cemetery was nominated for the State and National Register of Historic Places on Wednesday, September 17.
A 400-acre cemetery in the Bronx serving all five boroughs, Woodlawn is a place where icons such as New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, author Herman Melville, newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer and jazz legend Duke Ellington are buried.
Often these noteworthy people commissioned famous artists to design their memorials, something that has added to the significance of Woodlawn, explained Susan Olsen, a historian at the cemetery.
She said that is why in February Woodlawn, located on Webster Avenue and East 233rd Street, applied to be placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. “It was time for us to be recognized,” Olsen said, explaining that any property over 50 years old and of historical significance could be eligible to be on the list.
Although Woodlawn’s historic designation is being granted only now, the public has long perceived it as a historic site rather than a working cemetery because of the many famous people buried there. “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, we didn’t know if you still have space,’” Olsen said. She noted that every year 1,200 people are buried there and 2,000 are cremated.
Designating properties as state and national historic sites makes them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits, according to New York State Office of Parks and Recreation.
There are nearly 90,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts.