new book illustrates history of lake view cemetery, 'a record of our time as it passes'
University Circle and Euclid Avenue continue to evolve into a world where modern amenities meet historic architecture. Barney Taxel's new book of photographs, “The Lake View Cemetery: Photographs from Cleveland’s Historic Landmark,” is a showcase of where the neighborhood has been and where it's going in Lake View Cemetery, the 285-acre park, museum and burial ground.
“Euclid Avenue is in a comeback – there are a lot of new things on that whole stretch,” explains Taxel, whose wife, Laura Taxel, who wrote the book's essays. “University Circle and Downtown was a place known as Millionaires Row, where the movers and shakers settled. This comeback with Uptown represents just that – a new chapter in the area that was once sought-after in terms of real estate.”
Taxel took 14 years to document some of the characteristics that make Lake View unique. “It was very challenging to create a photographic portfolio that did not follow conventional forms,” he says. “I wanted to do something as it is relative to a person’s experience walking or driving through.”
He points out that Lake View offers an important chronicle of Cleveland history. Its architecture offers a documentation of the city’s impressive business beginnings.
“There are many, many threads to Cleveland businesses,” Taxel says. “Sherwin-Williams, Western Union, the great shipping companies, and of course Standard Oil. You walk through the place and you see names like Halle and Higbee.”
The mausoleums showcase architecture details of the past, and great names such as John D. Rockefeller, Eliot Ness, Carl B. Stokes, President James A. Garfield and Cleveland Clinic co-founder George Washington Crile grace the grounds. Yet the sprawling 145-year-old cemetery, modeled after garden cemeteries of Victorian England and France, also has room left for today’s history makers.
“It is, and always has been, a record of our time as it passes,” says Taxel. “It is timeless.”
Laura Taxel's introduction and six essays weave the photographs with the history and culture of Lakeview. The book is for sale at Lakeview Cemetery’s business office at 12316 Euclid Avenue, Loganberry Books and Macs Backs-Books.
Laura and Barney have upcoming book signings at Loganberry on Saturday at 3pm; at Mac’s Backs on Saturday, December 13 at 1pm; and at The Wine Spot on Sunday, December 14 from 3pm to 5pm.
