Maple Grove Cemetery

Maple Grove Cemetery covers 65 acres in Kew Gardens, Queens, and combines two distinct burial landscapes. Monumental Park, the northern third, was laid out in 1875 over hilly glacial terrain with winding roads, mature trees, stone monuments and a few mausolea, reflecting the rural cemetery movement. Memorial Park, the southern two-thirds, opened in 1943 and was completed in 1947 to plans by the Buffalo firm George W. McClure & Son. It has regraded lawns, flush bronze markers, a lake and themed gardens. Contributing buildings include the 1880 stone and shingle Administration Building by James E. Ware, a Queen Anne-inspired structure with a pyramidal-roofed belltower, an 1875 receiving vault also by Ware, and an 1831 blacksmith shop. The cemetery was founded by Brooklyn businessmen, operated its own quarry, and is tied to the growth of Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens. It holds about 83,000 burials, including many prominent local residents, and its grave markers show changing funerary styles from Victorian to Art Deco.