Greenwood was opened in 1907, and is situated on 117 lovely acres with attractive trees, seasonal flowers and well-kept landscaping. The park includes three lakes, veterans’ features, the Lifesharing Hero's memorial, a Canadian Legion monument, the large Cathedral and Bible mausoleums, and a historic section. Other than the monuments, the Serenity section, the historic section and the mausoleum, all burial sites have in-ground gravestones. There are approximately 100,000 residents in Greenwood Memorial Park - it is the largest non-military cemetery in San Diego County.
The men who created Greenwood Memorial Park: Edgar G. Davies, William Rodgers, Ralph Granger, George W. Marston, Alfred Haines, Ralph E. Jenny, William Kettner, and H.J. Parsons provided a secure financial base for the cemetery to grow on.
Due to rapid spread of disease, laws at that time required that cemeteries be located outside of town. Situated on a slight hill with an ocean view, directly east of Mount Hope Cemetery, Greenwood's appeal began with its location. Over the years, development of Greenwood included several chapels, a mortuary, crematory, three mausoleums, a collection of international and rare vegetation, a flower shop, and statuary. Judging by the names of some of the people resting in Greenwood, it must have been attractive from the start. A few of the prominent burials include the Seftons, Scripps, Grants, Putnams, Kettners, Frosts, and Timkens.
Many markers here tell a story about the deceased. Someone not knowing Belle Benchley's connection with the San Diego Zoo would probably wonder about the gorilla face on her grave marker.
Several families, including the Starkeys and Grangers built private mausoleums, a symbol of prestige and money. C. Arnholt Smith built the last of these. Other families commissioned impressive markers. The magnificent bronze Angel of Death marking the family of U.S. Grant Jr. sits in waiting, holding a wilting lily. Its sculptor, H. Augustus Lukeman, created several other important sculptures and memorials throughout the United States.
Another memorial within Greenwood remains somewhat of a mystery. A man named Frederick Tanzer purchased a cluster of sixteen gravesites and decorated each space with statuary consisting of angels, dogs and lambs, facing various directions. Made of granite and Italian marble, they represent a substantial amount of money that seems excessive for a man who lived his last years subsisting on old age pension. Tanzer dedicated two of the sites to friends (who were still alive). Two graves mark the remains of Tanzer and his wife. The rest remain empty.
When Cathedral Mausoleum was built in 1919, the acceptance of crypt burials was not yet popular on the West Coast. The idea caught on quickly and the demands for crypts grew at an unforeseen rate. The Cathedral Mausoleum grew to be the largest single building mausoleum in the world. Alaskan marble, carefully matched when cut, forms unusual designs on the walls of the original section. With expansion, the use of a variety of marbles creates a different mood in each aisle. An abundance of stained glass windows and statuary provides additional atmosphere.
Like the cemetery, this mausoleum contains the remains of numerous prominent San Diegans. Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink's crypt sits close to the front entrance. The Wegeforths and Wares, the Sharps, Wangenheims, and Orcutts have crypts in this building, as well as San Diego artist Charles Reiffel, and writer Harold Bell Wright.
The demand for crypts necessitated an additional building. Construction began in 1957 on the Bible Mausoleum. Greenwood now contains the largest and second largest mausoleums in the world.
Throughout the grounds special areas are set aside for various groups of people. There are areas for firefighters, various fraternal organizations, Greeks, military groups, Jews, and others.
