Carrie Eliza Anderson Getty
1843 – 24 February 1890
Henry Harrison Getty
20 September 1836 – 28 March 1919
Alice Eliza Getty
15 October 1868 – 12 June 1946
There is a thorough write-up about this mausoleum on Carrie Eliza Anderson Getty’s findagrave.com page as well as a Wikipedia entry dedicated to the mausoleum which discusses its architectural aspects, so I’ll just hit some highlights below.
This mausoleum is one of Graceland’s most significant monuments, was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1971, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The mausoleum was designed by Louis Henri Sullivan and is considered the beginning of his involvement in the Chicago School style.
Henry Harrison Getty (born in 1836 in New York) met Carrie Anderson (born in 1843 in Norway) after he came to Muskegon, Michigan to get into the lumber trade. They married in 1864 and had one child, daughter Alice, in 1868. Henry made his fortune in lumber, making important connections as well that brought the family to Chicago.
Sadly, Carrie died in 1890 in her late 40s which led Henry to hire Sullivan to design this truly stunning final resting place for her. After Carrie’s death, Henry and Alice moved to Paris. They traveled back to the US not infrequently, but Henry died in Paris in 1919, a few months after the end of WWI, and was returned to Chicago to join his wife.
Alice never married or had children. She was a musician, composer, and author. In the wake of WWI, she established a publishing house (apparently in France) for braille books to meet the increased need for books for the blind in the post-WWI world.
Alice died a few months after the end of a World War, just like her father, passing away in 1946 in New York City. She was brought back to Chicago and entombed with her parents, and this little family were reunited once more.
RIP Gettys
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