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Spiritual Construction: Minneapolis Cemetery Blends Old and New

Spiritual Construction: Minneapolis Cemetery Blends Old and New

When a bucolic cemetery in Minneapolis began to near capacity, its owners worried a large expansion might dampen the landscape’s pastoral charm.

Despite its comparatively large footprint, the 24,500-square-foot Garden Mausoleum in Minneapolis’ Lakewood Cemetery is in harmony with the existing mausoleum and chapel that it sits between, as if in meditation. The 141-year-old non-sectarian cemetery occupies 250 acres in the city’s Uptown neighborhood.

Designed by Joan Soranno and John Cook, both with HGA Architects and Engineers, the Garden Mausoleum peeks out of a south-facing hill along the northern edge of the site’s “sunken garden.” Mahogany and charcoal granite walls complement white marble and onyx floors that alternate between honey yellow, jade green, and coral pink.

The handsomely understated spaces are prime for spiritual exploration and self-reflection. Elegant and quietly powerful, the mausoleum is an authentic union of materials and design.


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