Cool Mausoleums

Homes for the Dead
When ghosts aren't residing under the beds of little children, they can often be found in palatial estates, or what the living call mausoleums. Serving as a background for dramatic scenes in more than a few horror films, these structures have a reputation for being eerie and haunted. But more often than not, these "homes" are anything but scary. Many are built by famous architects and modeled after grand architectural structures.

Gated Community
Great philanthropists Edward Harkness, son of an original Standard Oil partner, and his wife Mary Stillman, of the Rockefeller family, are buried together in this gated fortress reminiscent of a Medieval church. It was designed by James Gamble Rogers, Edward Harness's favorite architect, known for his university structures at Yale, Columbia, and Northwestern. The Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Architectural Beauty
Architects McKim, Mead, and White, who designed many famous New York buildings including the Morgan Library and the Municipal Building, fashioned this Mausoleum for Henry A.C. Taylor, son of wealthy banker Moses Taylor. The Beaux Arts structure features an eclectic design with elaborately bordered panels. The Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Walk Like An Egyptian
A sphinx guards the mausoleum of five-and-dime store mogul F.W. Woolworth (1852-1919). The famous merchant was fascinated by Egyptology and designed his own burial site to mimic Egyptian architecture. The Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Lakeside View
After his premature death at 31, actor Rudolf Valentino was interred inside this Cathedral Mausoleum designed by architect Matlock Price (originally for scriptwriter June Mathis) at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. More than 70 years later, fans still bring flowers to the site. The star of "The Sheik" (1921) and "Blood and Sand" (1922), attracted 80,000 mourners when his casket was carried into the elaborate structure. Rose petals showering the crowd from a small plane. Legend has it that the "Lady in Black" visits Valentino's crypt each year on the anniversary of his death and leaves red roses.

Sphinx Switch
The Stanford mausoleum, located on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, holds the remains of University namesake Leland Stanford, Jr. and his parents Leland and Jane Stanford. Legend has it that the original structure was built with naked Greek female sphinxes on the front, but the Stanfords disapproved and had them replaced with Egyptian-style male sphinxes, moving the females to the back. Ionic columns line the sides of the strucure. Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Voodoo Lady
Though there is controversy as to where voodoo queen Mary Laveau is actually buried, this tomb at St. Louis Cemetery #1 in New Orleans attracts tourists and believers alike. Many leave small gifts at the site, such as candles and flowers. It's said that if a visitor leaves an offering and marks triple Xs on the tomb, they may then ask for a favor. Claims of ghost sightings here are not uncommon. St Louis Cemetery #1, New Orleans, LA

Next Stop, Huntington Station
Collis Potter Huntington, known for his work on the transcontinental railroad, is interred high on a hilltop looking towards the east in this Neo-Classical Revival mausoleum. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, who is responsible for the façade of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, it boasts stairways replicated from the old Pennsylvania Station in New York City. Its bronze doors are by Herbert Adams, founder of the National Sculpture Society.

Da Vinci Decor
This stunning mausoleum holds the bodies of wealthy American socialite and congressman Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont and his wife Alva Vanderbilt, a well-known women's rights activist. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, it is an exact replica of the Chapel of St. Hubert at Château d'Amboise in France, which was designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the Gothic Flamboyant style of the early 1500s and is rumored to contain his body.