We just returned from a visit to the lovely Huntington Library in San Marino to celebrate our son’s 23rd birthday.
The estate, which of course belonged to the man our city is named before (even though it’s never been proven that he ever actually visited here) is also the site of he and his wife’s final resting place – and the tomb has an amazing bit of history attached to it:
From my friends at find-a-grave: “Railroad tycoon and noted collector of art and rare books. The Mausoleum of Henry Huntington and his wife Arabella is considered to be the model for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. John Russell Pope designed the Mausoleum before he won the commission that made him famous. Henry intended the Mausoleum to be a Greek temple, erected on the spot Arabella chose for her gravesite. The Mausoleum is made of Colorado Yule marble, and its circular peristyle has four bas-relief sculptures with literary quotes alluding to the four seasons. Surrounded by orange groves, the Mausoleum was completed in 1929, two years after Henry’s death and five years after Arabella died.”
Many of you have probably seen the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. But did you know that Huntington’s mausoleum was the model for the iconic U.S. landmark?
Surf City Chronicles 