Maple Grove Cemetery
Why it's listed
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.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery embodies two landscape design approaches: the nineteenth-century rural cemetery movement in Monumental Park (1875) and the twentieth-century memorial park design in Memorial Park (opened 1943). It also contains cemetery architecture and funerary art reflecting changing tastes and attitudes toward death, and it is the burial place of many prominent local residents.
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 04000874, listed August 20, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 83-15 Kew Gardens Rd., Kew Gardens |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | August 20, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000874 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1875-1947 |
| Architect / builder | James E. Ware; George W. McClure & Son |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne-inspired (Administration Building); otherwise N/A (landscape: rural cemetery and memorial park designs) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a cemetery; Monumental Park is full except for active family plots and unused plots sold back to the cemetery. |
| Acreage | 65 |
| Coordinates | 40.70833, -73.82323 (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 04000874.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706898
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.