Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 280 Secor Road in the hamlet of Hartsdale, town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, about 25 miles (40 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It was founded in 1902, and is non-sectarian. Ferncliff has three community mausoleums, a crematory, a small chapel, and a main office located in the rear of the main building.
Ferncliff Cemetery has three community mausoleums that offer what The New York Times has described as "lavish burial spaces". As of 2001, a standard crypt space in the mausoleums was priced at $15,000. The highest-priced spaces were private burial rooms with bronze gates, crystal chandeliers, and stained-glass windows, priced at $280,000.
The Ferncliff Mausoleum, aka "The Cathedral of Memories", is the cemetery's oldest mausoleum, constructed in 1928. It has classic architecture, but the corridors are dark without glass panes to admit natural light. Ed Sullivan and Joan Crawford are two of the most famous interments in the main mausoleum.
The Shrine of Memories is Ferncliff's second mausoleum and was constructed in 1956. "Shrine of Memories" is a more contemporary structure than "Ferncliff Mausoleum." It has many panes of glass to admit natural light, and there is a painting of Christopher Columbus in the main hall of the building. Basil Rathbone is one of the most famous interments in "Shrine of Memories."
Rosewood is Ferncliff's most recently completed community mausoleum, having been constructed in 1999. The architect of Rosewood was Joseph J. Mangan Aaliyah and her father Michael Haughton have a private room in Rosewood. Cab Calloway is interred with his wife Zulme "Nuffie".
The cemetery is also known for its in-ground burials in sections located in front of the mausoleums. Ferncliff is one of the very few cemeteries that does not permit upright headstones in its outdoor plots. All outdoor grave markers are flush with the ground. This feature facilitates maintenance of the cemetery grounds. However, there are several upright headstones that were placed before this policy was instituted. Malcolm X and the most famous ground burials, in plot Pinewood B.
Aaliyah (1979–2001), singer, actress, model, dancerArthur W. Aleshire (1900-1940)-congressmanPaul Althouse (1889–1954), opera singerHarold Arlen (1905–1986), composerTommy Armour (1895–1968), Hall of Fame professional golferLeopold Auer (1845–1930), violinistArleen Auger (1939–1993), opera singerAlbert E. Austin (1877–1953), U.S. Congressman from ConnecticutArthur Baer (1886–1969), journalistJames Baldwin (1924–1987), novelist, essayistRichard Barthelmess (1895–1963), actorBéla Bartók (1881–1945), composer, pianist, scholar; his remains were moved to Farkasreti Cemetery in Budapest, Hungary in 1988Charles A. Beard (1874–1948), educator, historianMary Ritter Beard (1867–1958), historianJoseph P. Bickerton, Jr. (1878–1936), attorney, theatrical producerSherman Billingsley (1900–1966), restaurateur, owner of Stork ClubRay Bloch (1902 - 1982), composer, songwriter and arrangerBallington Booth (1857–1940), social reformer (Volunteers of America)Maud Booth (1865–1948), co-founder of Volunteers of AmericaIrène Bordoni (1895–1953), actress, singerConnee Boswell (1907–1976), SingerPeaches Browning (1910–1956), actressAdolph Caesar (1933–1986), ActorCab Calloway (1907–1994), MusicianNorthern Calloway (1948–1990), ActorSalvatore Cardillo (1880–1947), ComposerHattie Carnegie (1880–1956), fashion designerThomas Carvel (1906–1990), founder of Carvel Ice CreamMady Christians (1900–1951), ActressMichael "Trigger Mike" Coppola (1900–1966), MafiosoAlexander Cores (1900–1994), Violinist Dorian String QuartetJoan Crawford (c. 1905–1977), ActressMyrtle Vail (1888–1978), ActressLya De Putti (1899–1931), ActressJack Donahue (1888–1930), Actor and dancerO.L. Duke (1953–2004), ActorMit’hat Frashëri (1880-1949), Albanian diplomat, writer, politicianLew Fields (1867–1941), Actor, ComedianMichel Fokine (1880–1942), choreographerDonald Foster (1889–1969), actorNahan Franko (1861–1930), musicianAnis Fuleihan (1900–1970), musicianBetty Furness (1916–1994), actress, consumer advocate, and commentatorJane Gail (1890–1962), actressJudy Garland (1922-1969), actress and singer; Her remains were moved in 2017 to Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.Maria Gay (1879–1943), Catalan opera singerMinnie Gentry (1915–1993), actressJohnny Gunther (1929–1947), son of John Gunther and subject of Death Be Not ProudOscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), librettistAnnette Hanshaw (1901–1985), singerMoss Hart (1904–1961), playwright and directorKitty Carlisle Hart (1910–2007), actress and singerMichael Haughton (1951-2012), father and manager of AaliyahIrene Hayes (1896–1975), businesswoman; founded Irene Hayes Wadley & Smythe and Gallagher's Steak HouseKaren Horney (1885–1952), psychiatristAlberta Hunter (1895–1984), singer and songwriterJerome Kern (1885–1945), composerWellington Koo (1888–1985), diplomat, statesman; Ambassador of Republic of ChinaHsiang-Hsi Kung (1881–1967), Minister of Finance and Industry of Republic of ChinaAvon Long (1910–1984), actor, singer, and dancerMarion Lorne (1883–1968), actressMoms Mabley (1899–1975), comedianMalcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz; 1925–1965), civil rights leader, born Malcolm LittleMichael Malloy (1873–1933), murder victimHugh Marlowe (1911–1982), actorWilliam Moulton Marston (1893–1947), creator of the Wonder Woman comic booksElsa Maxwell (1883–1963), Columnist, Society FigureJam Master Jay (1965–2002), DJ for Run-D.M.CJeffrey Miller (1950–1970), victim of the Kent State shootings and subject of John Filo's iconic photo of the eventLudwig von Mises (1881–1973), economist and philosopherThelonious Monk (1917–1982), musicianKhalid Abdul Muhammad (1948–2001), black nationalist and separatistOna Munson (1910–1955), actressDwight Arrington "Heavy D" Myers (1967-2011), rapper and actorNat Nakasa (1937–1965), South African writer; his remains were repatriated to South Africa on 19 August 2014 for reburial at Chesterville, Durban, South Africa, in September 2014Dagmar Nordstrom (1903–1976), pianist, composer, one of The Nordstrom SistersFrederick O'Neal (1905–1992), actorWilliam Oberhardt (1882–1958), artist, portrait painter, illustrator, sculptorAlbert L. Petilli Jr (1951-1990), owner of Big Apple Bus Co.David M. Potts (1906–1976), U.S. Congressman, House of Rep. (NY)James Powell (1949–1964), victim during the Harlem Riot of 1964Otto Rank (1884–1939), PsychiatristVincenzo Rao (1898–1988), Lucchese crime family mobsterConnie Rasinski (1907–1965), animatorBasil Rathbone (1892–1967), actorSharon Redd (1945–1992), singerCharles Revson (1906–1975), founder of Revlon CosmeticsPeter Revson (1939–1974), racecar driverPaul Robeson (1898–1976), actor, singer, and civil rights activistGene Rodemich (1890–1934), pianist and bandleaderArsenio Rodríguez (1911–1970), Cuban composer and bandleaderSigmund Romberg (1887–1951), composerJerry Ross (1926–1955), songwriterDiana Sands (1934–1973), actressFriedrich Schorr (1888–1953), opera singerGerlando Sciascia (1934–1999), Bonanno crime family caporegime, Rizzuto clan caporegimeMalik Sealy (1970–2000), NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)Betty Shabazz (1936–1997), philosopher; wife of Malcolm XMalcolm Shabazz (1984-2013), grandson of Malcolm XToots Shor (1903–1977), restaurateurOtto Soglow (1900–1975), author and cartoonist (The New Yorker)Soong Ai-ling (1888–1973), eldest of the three Soong sistersSoong Mei-ling (1897–2003), First Lady of the Republic of ChinaT.V. Soong (1894–1971), financier and diplomat; chairman of National Bank of ChinaAlfred Steele (1901–1959), board chairman of Pepsi, married to Joan CrawfordPreston Sturges (1898–1959), writer and directorEd Sullivan (1901–1974), columnist and television hostAnya Taranda (1915–1970), model and showgirlDiana Trilling (1905–1996), author and literary criticLionel Trilling (1905–1975), literary criticJudy Tyler (1932–1957), actressMyrtle Vail (1888–1978), actressConrad Veidt (1893–1943), actorDavid Warfield (1866–1951), actorCornell Woolrich (1903–1968), author, screenwriterHilda Yen (1904-1970), Chinese society figure, aviator and diplomatJoe Young (1889–1939), composerWhitney Young (1921–1971), social reformer (National Urban League)Ferncliff Cemetery has the only crematory in Westchester County, New York, and performs approximately 10% of the cremations in New York State. Because of local ordinances, no additional crematories can be constructed in Westchester County.
People whose remains were cremated at Ferncliff and whose ashes were taken somewhere else include:
Alan Freed (1921–1965), radio DJ known as "The Father of Rock & Roll". His ashes were moved to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2002.Jim Henson (1936–1990), Muppets creator. His ashes were scattered at his Santa Fe, New Mexico, ranch.John Lennon (1940–1980), singer and songwriter (The Beatles)Alan Jay Lerner (1918–1986), composer and playwrightNelson Rockefeller (1908–1979), Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States. His ashes were scattered on his estate.Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), scientist of electrotechnicsLenore Ulric (1892–1970), actressRaymond Walburn (1887–1969), actor
