My grandfather was the groundskeeper for Oak Grove back in the 1940’s. It was one of the most beautiful and elegant cemeteries in St. Louis. I have several relatives buried there. My uncle is in this mausoleum!😔I know there is a new owner and he has done much to try and improve it but it is going to take an incredible amount of money and effort to do so. The prior owner was a horrible greedy woman who let this get to this point and I hope someday karma gets her!😡In the meantime, my sympathy and prayers go to all those resting there and to the living relatives who cry when they visit their loved ones, just as I do! I appreciate the new owners attempts and wish there was an organization of some sort who may be able to help him out. (Historical organizations or Perhaps the state of Missouri). There are many notable persons laid to rest there. Too incredibly sad.
I’ve been to this location - it’s right on top of a street to the west. It still looks stunning from the inside - but the outside when driving by is alittle strange to view once you know you’re staring at the rear of a mausoleum. That doesn’t seem to help it imo, as there’s no way to change that.
@@ryanc2927 I stated in my original post that my grandfather was the caretaker back in the 40’s, I meant to say 30’s!!! If you enter the cemetery off of St. Charles Rock Rd, the mausoleum sits up on the hill on your right side. There is a small house on the property that houses lawn equipment now, but back in the day, that is the house my mom lived in as a little girl. I have some really cool pics of her and her little brother (my uncle) sitting on top of the big lion statues that sit in front of the mausoleum. They pretended they were horses!😂😂And the cemetery had the most beautiful flower gardens and gorgeous fountains. My mom would wade in them in the hottest of St. Louis summers. Always after hours though. My grandfather would never have allowed it during business hours!!!😂😂😂 It truly was a grand place. My mom and dad rest there now and it breaks my heart to see what has happened but as I said, I pray the new owner will one day bring it back to its splendor. Hoping he can find the help and the funds to do so! 💙
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It isn’t abandoned, a new owner took over about 4 years ago, slowly they are cleaning and restoring it. The new owner is a highly respectful businessman, funeral home owner. I trust that it will be brought back to the beautiful mausoleum it is. I’m a retired funeral director and have been there many times. I am only a few miles from this cemetery and mausoleum. The former owners had financial difficulties, mismanagement and neglect.
Perhaps someday it will reopen, but as of now it is nowhere near being accessible to the public. It has remained in a deteriorating state for nearly half a decade with no visible signs of any restoration whatsoever.
Me too. Cemeteris are a waste of space. To me it is a place where bodies rot in a coffin. Also on my will I have demanded that my X wife dump my ashes off a bridge. Also the wind should be in her face so that when she empties the urn, it blows right back into her face.
I couldn't agree with that more... As the world is taking a dive now there won't be anyone left around to take care of these places. They'll all be home for squatters
Face it..after 3 generations the dead are forgotten. I visited my Grandparent's grave last year-I'm probably the only Grandchild left who does this-the others are all far away or gone. So when I am gone...that is it.
I live in St Louis and was totally unaware of this impressive building. Any idea when it was built? Sad to witness its current state. Hope this treasure gets rehabbed and preserved for later generations to see. Thanks for posting!
What a crying shame, in the U.K. somebody would start a "FRIEND'S OF" Group. Mostly run by maybe retired or folks with a couple of hours on their hands to sweep the stairs, dust and help fund raise if necessary, as we do here to run many heritage railways etc,, all done and kept going with public support and donations.
I don’t think it is abandoned as it apparently still has a supply of electricity. I really hope that steps are taken to reverse the early signs of decay visible to keep this lovely building a tranquil memorial where people may visit their deceased loved ones. Don’t let it get like some of the others on RU-vid where decay, filth, destruction and debris are the order of the day and where sometimes even human remains are visible.
When you were on the ground floor I couldn’t see what the issue with the place was until you went upstairs. So sad because it’s a very nice building. And a lot of people are at rest there. I hope somehow this place can be restored. Those stained glass windows are really nice.
The cemetery where this building is located is literally right behind my house, we go for walks in it all the time. I don't know that I would call it "abandoned," it is still very much an active cemetery with staff and groundskeepers and burials happening. They do seem to have the big mausoleum locked more often than not lately, but I'm not sure that qualifies it as abandoned. The problem with the building is that it is in need of costly repairs, which is difficult both because it is an historic building and also because the back of the building is right up against a major road (if you drive north on Hanley rd between Page and St. Charles Rock rd you will see it right up against the fence on your right, can't miss it. If they could open it up to the public for tours and such, they could potentially generate revenue to rehab this historic structure, but they can't do that unless they do some repairs, which they can't do without money etc.
@@theinsufferablebutthole8923 That is what I was thinking. It needs some work and that takes money. I'm not sure how cemeteries have perpetual incomes, other than investments once they are full or near capacity. It's not like anybody is paying rent each month.
Although Oak Grove Cemetery in a high crime area, so are Bellrieve and Calgary Cemeteries, and they are well-kept heritage gardens, open to the public.
It is far from abandoned. Oak Grove previous owner ran a shady business and screwed many families out of money. The new owners are working to right her wrongs. My grandmother and great grandparents are buried in there. You actually showed their room.
That's a sad sight to see people have payed big money to have their final resting place fall in disrepair, what a shame! I seen people that had bodies exhumed and moved. I also seen flowers around a new burial that I'm sure the place just closed afterwards, what a mess! You don't just abandon a facility like this.
My mother and father and his parents are all buried there near the main entrance. Grandfather (who I never met) bought several plots as an investment. It was told me several years ago that the problem with the mausoleum was a leaky roof that the prior owner couldn't afford to have repaired. By watching the video you can see the foot print of the original building and as demand needed additional wings were added. Hard to figure the cost in today's dollars.
No disrespect intended here. But there shouldn't be anymore new Mausoleum constructions, or above ground intern buildings. Overtime, every business goes out of business, and those abandoned buildings just turn to ruins. It would be far more respectful to admit that, and not pretend future generations are going to donate money. Ground burial and hopefully volunteers with lawnmowers in the future.
I worked there in the 70s … had to use hand trimmers on my hands and knees to cut all the way around that building… they had recently completed the million dollar addition to the building… I walked on there many times to cool off
To the creator of this piece..please research your facts before you post. My grandparents and aunt are interred at Oak Grove and the mausoleum was never abandoned. The previous owner of the property could no longer keep up with the maintenance of it and the new owner is doing his best to restore it. Please think about the families who still visit their final resting place.
I grew up and attended elementary school very near there . Throughout the '70''s and very early '80's it wasn't unusual for myself or any number of my friends to venture through that cemetery as it was a very beautiful and peaceful place . I often took walks through there and the nearby woods to get home . Yes , there was some long ago teenage shenanigans of skipping school and hanging out but we never vandalized. We had respect for the old place . It is very large and very serene . Maybe 10 years ago I took a reminiscent drive through the old place and much of the pavement was still the same but in disrepair . I do hope the current ownership can do Oak Grove some well deserved justice .
A good amount of the place looked clean and kept up until the third level, the stairs and basement area. I was almost expecting someone to jump out In the basement
Wow this is cool. I live pretty close to this place and have driven past it quite a few times, always wondered what it looked like inside. Thanks for posting this!
That's because the city of St Louis does not have good people running it anymore.... The same people that allow criminals to run free instead of prosecuting them
Sad and wrong. Upper floor are in rough shape. Water leak issues, broken tiles. Probably been this way for a long time. Too costly to rehab, so it sits.
What an aweful eerie place!. Worse than a cemetery!.At least that will get sunshine!. This is a shocking sad place to be burried. Even to visit is creepy!!.
There's obviously someone who at least visits there loved one's since there's flowers, I just wish my family would let me maintain or visit my parents grave, I can't drive medical reasons, the graves to far up to walk to with arthritis in both feet, I never get to visit mum and dad.
This cemetery certainly does not do upkeep well. I understand that there is "new management" and some things take time, but stones are covered, the lawn is mowed poorly. It is so disrespectful. We hate that there is so little care given to the people laid to rest here. You want to go and mourn and remember and end up leaving angry.
Mausoleums are a waste of $$$. Enjoy Your money when you're alive, don't give it to those funeral directors, taking advantage of your emotions. What is important is the memories you leave behind with the people that cared abd loved you. For me a simple inexpensive creamation. Not leaving a financial burden on my family.
The grounds are mowed, why was the mausoleum abandoned? They have spaces to sell that have no markings. Any ideas? It appears that some of the tenants have been relocated by their families.
Needs maintenance, for all the folks who think being burried above ground,,think again, very costly maintenance and upkeep is overwhelming incredibly costly, if its built and has walls at some point it will all come crashing down, nothing stands forever!
@@RoseRed81 wonder if anyone has been caught damaging the building. If so and they got community service it should be spent them doing service cleaning in the mausoleum
It looks like it’s being rehabbed. That place is huge! It looks like the top floors will need the most help Restoring a building like this is going to take time and money.
What a terrible waste of money by families meaning to do their best for their loved ones. We have decided to be cremated and our ashes mixed together. Shaken and not stirred. Then with our ashes divided up for everyone who wants some to take on vacation with us and leave a pinch every where they go. My mother is in the Gulf of Mexico, the mouth of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and countless waterfalls and mountain trails. A few in a favorite fishing spot. A few of her ashes are in the lawn of our house along with grass seed. I suspect a few birds enjoyed some of them. Ashes to ashes….dust to dust…no shrine or stained glass…just nature and eternity. We did speak a few words as we let the wind carry them away. If you have a religious connection to the remains you can pray and ask your god to take care of them. One other thought that I had about her ashes….she could be everywhere we go since we don’t know for sure, we might even be places she got to before we did. I’m hesitating to post this because I don’t know the laws for everywhere we left a few…but I do know that if your dog shits on my lawn you are supposed to pick it up and take it home with you.
I have never seen a lovely sadder place before. The usual decay and droppings expected. The wire @ .30 ? The heartstopper for me was the 4 open crypts in a row. I can hope the family moved the remains. To allow vandals to enter exit that place is unacceptable to any American. Good photo documentation of this unique US tragedy.
Any If a few Mausoleum space owners hire a lawyer that has experience with class action suit, but I understand a new owner is fixing up the place. He might just need a few months to make a difference.
This building is undergoing restoration.... You can see fans on the floor mop buckets on the floor. And it also looks like someone has wiped the marble walls where the coffins are.
It doesn’t look abandoned to me! Some of the upper floors perhaps need restoring but the stain glass is still there! I never liked mausoleums for what ever reason….
Many hundreds of thousands of dollars were paid by the people buried there. That money went into some sort of trust fund from which interest should have paid for the upkeep. WHO LOOTED THE FUND?
Interest rates have been extremely low for a very long time. So little return on investment capital. Roofs need to be kept up and replaced eventually. The cost rises due to neglect. This is a recipe for financial ruin.
The office and cemetary remain open, but the mausoleum is abandoned. The omission of the words "office" and "cemetary" in the title of the video reflect that. We can give you the location if you'd like to visit to confirm this. Thanks for stopping by!
@@Man-MadeArchaeology Almost all property is owned be it a house or what ever it's not abandoned. Just because it's not lived in or used it's still owned by someone. All you so called explorers should be arrested for breaking and entering and trespassing unless you have permission of the owners
Yep. Built by the M.P. Moller (pronounced "molar", like the tooth) Company of Hagerstown, Maryland. Two keyboards and pedal keyboard. There are other vids of this place (one in particular that I can't recall specifically--sorry) that show the console (the part the organist sits at) pretty well. You'll have to dig on YT to find the vid. No telling what the actual pipes, etc. are like as far as condition is concerned. However, in one video I did see that the room where the pipes are was ajar...not encouraging. Looks like everything is installed in the wall behind the console and that the organ speaks through the decorative grille. A good friend of mine worked for Moller years ago and helped me figure out what the composition of the instrument was from the notes I jotted down off of that vid. Verdict: A nice little chapel organ that would have been heard throughout a fair amount of the mausoleum before the additional wings were built. Moller is known for having built first-class pipe organs in every respect.
Great video! However, I cannot understand your name, Man-Made Archaeology. Archaeology is "The scientific study of of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture." Redundancy like "ink pen" or "dead body". BTW: This mausoleum is not abandoned.
@@Man-MadeArchaeology closed does not mean abandoned, using you reasoning when someone closes up thier home and goes on vacation or away for the season it's abandoned.
