The Gothic Temple in Spring Grove Cemetery

This beautiful Gothic temple and mausoleum with its awesome flying buttresses always draws me to it when I photograph in Spring Grove Cemetery... more

by Phyllis Taylor

Title

The Gothic Temple in Spring Grove Cemetery

Artist

Phyllis Taylor

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

This beautiful Gothic temple and mausoleum with its awesome flying buttresses always draws me to it when I photograph in Spring Grove Cemetery located in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is difficult to photograph because of the large trees surrounding it, and I found that springtime when the leaves are few is the best time to capture it.

It took four years (from 1865 to 1869) for Cincinnati architect James Keyes Wilson to design this Gothic Revival combination chapel and mausoleum for the Dexter brothers—the chapel is above and the crypts are below. Although the Dexter brothers wanted a structure that was reminiscent of Sainte Chapelle in Paris, Wilson may also have been inspired by Chinchester Cathedral in England. With its flamboyant design and massive flying buttresses, it is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the Cincinnati Area.

When it was finished in 1869, the Dexter mausoleum had the only flying buttresses in the Cincinnati area. These architectural wonders are fashioned to give buildings extra strength by transmitting the thrust of a vault or a roof from the upper part of a wall to an outer support, known as a buttress. When the buttresses are open, as seen in the Dexter mausoleum, rather than solid, they are known as flying buttresses.

Uploaded

August 16th, 2017