{"nrhp_refnum":"04001174","name":"Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"1101 Antoine","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.78856571150004,"lon":-95.47814283452789,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-10-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Landscape Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 60-acre private cemetery at 1101 Antoine Drive on the western edge of Houston, Harris County, Texas, established in 1931 about two miles outside the city limits. It combines upright monuments, flat markers, and rustic cement sculpture by Dionicio Rodriguez.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the cemetery is significant under Criterion C in the areas of Art and Landscape Architecture. It shows the evolution from the lawn-park cemetery to the memorial-park type, with flat markers and sculptural embellishment. It also holds Rodriguez's only known cemetery work in Texas, in his faux bois style.","narrative":"Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery occupies about 60 acres on the western edge of Houston, opened in 1931 on rural land two miles beyond the city limits. Much of the ground is forested with mature pine, oak, hickory and elm. Winding roads link themed burial gardens, some with upright monuments and others with flat markers. Around 1940 the owners added flat-marker sections and commissioned Mexican artisan Dionicio Rodriguez to create rustic cement sculpture imitating wood and rock. His work includes a 25-foot faux wood cross with four benches, a woven basket, a honeycomb rock fountain and planter, the Annie Laurie Wishing Chair, and a fallen-tree bench. It is his only known cemetery work in Texas. The cemetery reflects both the lawn-park plan and the memorial-park model associated with Hubert Eaton's Forest Lawn. Its design and Rodriguez's artwork support its significance in art and landscape architecture. The office, funeral home, mausoleum, Bible sculpture and an arbor are later or noncontributing additions.","period_of_significance":"1931-1954","architect_builder":"Dionicio Rodriguez (sculptor)","architectural_style":"Other: Faux bois sculpture","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Active, perpetual care cemetery; the Rodriguez sculptures were described as in good condition in 2003, though the fountain was not functioning.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.828365-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/9694/40969459/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/04001174.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001174/ddbabeb201-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001174/ddbabeb201-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"TXAggie","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woodlawn_Garden_of_Memories_Cemetery.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">TXAggie</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woodlawn_Garden_of_Memories_Cemetery.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969459","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlawn_Garden_of_Memories_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8033016"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/woodlawn-garden-of-memories-cemetery-04001174/"}