Getty Tomb
- Architect
- Louis H. Sullivan
- Year
- 1890
- City
- Chicago, IL
- Collection
- adler & sullivan
Commissioned in 1890 by lumber baron Henry Harrison Getty as a memorial to his wife Carrie Eliza Getty, this tomb in Graceland Cemetery was designed by Louis Sullivan of Adler & Sullivan. Getty had already seen Sullivan's work through his Loop commissions and through the mausoleum Sullivan designed nearby for Getty's late business partner, Martin Ryerson. The tomb is considered the most significant piece of architecture in Graceland Cemetery and marks the start of Sullivan's turn toward the Chicago School.
the building
Limestone geometry. The tomb is built almost as a cube, standing alone on its own triangular plot. The lower half is smooth, massive limestone blocks; the upper half breaks into a rectangular grid of octagons, each carved with an eight-pointed starburst pattern, banded beneath a cornice of intricate spiraling ornament.
A roofline with two moods. The roofline is straight and horizontal across the front and back of the tomb but curves into a concave scalloped edge along the sides, giving the boxy massing an unexpected softness at the top.
the style
No single revival style is attached to the tomb; instead it's remembered as an early expression of Sullivan's own ornamental language — geometric limestone patterning rather than borrowed historical motifs — marking the beginning of his involvement with the Chicago School.
the architect
Louis Sullivan, of the firm Adler & Sullivan, was one of the foundational architects of American modern architecture. The Getty Tomb, designed in 1890, marks the beginning of his turn toward the Chicago School and remains one of his most studied works of ornament.
significance
Designated a Chicago Landmark (L-103) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1971. It's considered the most significant piece of architecture in Graceland Cemetery and the starting point of Sullivan's Chicago School development.
nearby
- Graeme Stewart Public School Building
- Cairo Supper Club Building
- Uptown Theatre
- Aragon Ballroom
- Mutual Insurance Building
- All Saints Church and Rectory