SMC Cemeteries: Western Hills

The Cemetery that never was.

Western Hills Cemetery was designed by Bernard Maybeck in collaboration with Julia Morgan in 1940. "Bernard Ralph Maybeck was an American architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was an instructor at University of California, Berkeley. Most of his major buildings were in the San Francisco Bay Area." Wikipedia   Maybeck Foundation 

UC Berkeley's Environmental Design archives has a collection of Maybeck's designs.  Among them are site plans for the proposed Western Hills Cemetery which was under consideration by Memorial City Corporation.

It has been on my To Do list to visit Berkeley to view the collection since I first discovered their existence.  Well, Berkeley beat me to it. They have posted the drawings online for all to see. You will find the drawings included here and the rest of the collection at the Environment Design Archives Berkeley Exhibitions - A Palace of Fine Deaths.

Julia Morgan, “Western Hills Cemetery,” Environmental Design Archives Exhibitions, accessed April 11, 2019, http://exhibits.ced.berkeley.edu/items/show/30.

Bernard Maybeck & Julia Morgan, “Western Hills Cemetery,” Environmental Design Archives Exhibitions, accessed April 11, 2019, http://exhibits.ced.berkeley.edu/items/show/23.

The drawing of the cemetery gives the cross streets of Junipero Serra Blvd and Collins Way.  There is no Collins Way that I can find on today's map, but it seems likely that Collins Way of 1940 is Collins Avenue of today.  This would put the cemetery in the same area as the other Colma and Daly City cemeteries. Unfortunately, this beautifully designed cemetery was never established.

http://exhibits.ced.berkeley.edu/exhibits/show/fatal/palace_fine

Sharing Stories 2019 and Upcoming events

BRICK WALL SUMMER CAMP

Mondays June 3 - June 24 10-12AM 

Are you stuck on your genealogy?  Have you been looking for that elusive family connection?  Are your ancestors in the witness protection program?  This class is an intensive look at the tools and sources we use to uncover those difficult genealogical trails. 

The goal is to resolve your questions and, with luck, break down your brick wall.

Instructor:  Margaret Melaney AKA the Brick Wall Queen has been teaching a genealogy class in the Bay Area for several years.  

Please contact the instructor before class for handouts and questions.

margaretmelaney@gmail.com

Little House,  800 Middle Ave, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Fee:  $30/$40 members/non-members

Historic Downtown Walking Tour May 18

Historic Downtown Walking Tour

During the annual National Historic Preservation Month, Redwood City’s community can all play a part in celebrating our local history by participating in the Downtown History Walk on May 18 at 10:30am. Join us for a walk back in time! An annual Redwood City tradition is the historic downtown walking tour of Redwood City, sponsored by the Historic Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC). Walking tour participants will see where Wyatt Earp occasionally came for a drink, where a Wells Fargo Express Office operated in 1875, Redwood City’s first new car showroom salon and auto repair garage, the finest theater on the peninsula in 1896, the former homes of prominent pioneer citizens and much more. The tour begins at 10:30 a.m. on May 18, in front of the 1863 Lathrop House at 627 Hamilton Street. The tour will last approximately one hour and thirty minutes. Check back next week to learn more about the Union Cemetery. To learn more about the National Historic Preservation Month campaign and ways you can celebrate Redwood City's history all month long, go here: https://medium.com/redwood-city-voice/national-historic-preservation-month-honoring-redwood-citys-historical-roots-this-may
Maggie