Woodland Cemetery
Why it's listed
Woodland Cemetery is a 60-acre burial ground on Cleveland's east side, laid out in 1852-1853 by landscape gardener Howard Daniels in the curving "rural cemetery" manner. Its oldest twenty acres keep much of the original circular roads and pathways, and later northern sections extended the pattern less formally before giving way to straight rows. Unlike many cemeteries of its era, it was never extensively redesigned. A Gothic stone gateway on Woodland Avenue, begun in 1870 and credited to architect Joseph Ireland, is now badly deteriorated. As the city's main public cemetery through the Civil War years and after, it holds the graves of Governor John Brough, Civil War veterans, and a memorial to the 7th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Mausoleums in Egyptian, Gothic Revival and Greek Revival styles sit alongside smaller markers inscribed in Czech and German, recording the English-speaking, Central European and Eastern European communities that shaped Cleveland. It was also used informally as park space by its neighbors.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery is significant for its original "rural cemetery" design by landscape gardener Howard Daniels, much of which survives because the grounds were never wholesale redesigned. As Cleveland's main public cemetery for over fifty years, it also holds funerary monuments that document the city's varied ethnic groups and cultural periods.
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 86001253, listed June 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6901 Woodland Ave., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | June 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001253 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Howard Daniels, landscape gardener |
| Architectural style | Rural cemetery style (curvilinear landscape design); Gothic style entrance gateway |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is fair. The main gateway is deteriorating, with a collapsed west wall facing and unrepaired fire damage, and the city was reportedly considering demolishing it. The grounds remain in use and are mowed regularly, though maintenance is limited. |
| Acreage | 60 |
| Coordinates | 41.48164, -81.64159 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 86001253.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q30603604
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.