Forest Lawn Cemetery
Why it's listed
Forest Lawn Cemetery covers 267 acres in the center of Buffalo, about three miles from downtown. Its winding roads, lakes, creek and rolling bluffs follow the rural cemetery tradition, and a wrought iron fence encloses the grounds. The landscape began with a design by Charles C. Clarke, and engineer Joseph Earnshaw later expanded the road network. Buildings and structures include a Gothic limestone chapel from 1882, a Neo-classical administration building from 1907 by George Cary, a Beaux Arts Main Street gate from 1901 by Henry Osgood Holland, a Colonial Revival superintendent's residence, and four limestone arch bridges. Mausolea and monuments, among them the Letchworth-Skinner mausoleum, the Blocher memorial and the Orson Phelps monument, display Greek, Gothic, Romanesque and Egyptian Revival styles. Millard Fillmore is buried here. The cemetery was listed as a district for its landscape design and its funerary art, which together record regional burial customs from about 1850 to 1940.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is an outstanding example of a designed rural cemetery that evolved from the mid-nineteenth century into the early twentieth century. It also holds a large body of period funerary art, mausolea, bridges, gates and buildings by known architects and sculptors. Burials include notable figures such as President Millard Fillmore.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000688, listed May 10, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1411 Delaware Ave., Buffalo |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | May 10, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000688 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Charles C. Clarke (initial cemetery design); Joseph Earnshaw (engineer/planner); George Cary (administration building, Delaware Avenue gate); Henry Osgood Holland (Main Street gate); Bley and Lyman (superintendent's residence); William Gratwick (landscape consultant) |
| Architectural style | Rural cemetery |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery, with 63 contributing resources and 4 noncontributing buildings counted. |
| Acreage | 267 |
| Within district | Delaware Park-Front Park System |
| Coordinates | 42.92831, -78.86083 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000688.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5469014
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.