Friends of Historic Westview Cemetery

Not everything Coca-Cola heir Asa Candler Jr. dreamt of was built at Westview!

One of the goals of Friends of Historic Westview Cemetery is to create an exhibit space within the 1890 gatehouse to showcase the cemetery's amazing 137-year history. Help spread the word to make that dream a reality! Have your friends and family join Friends today!

The fascinating history of Westview...

Built in 1888 into the side of a hill in Section 4, Westview Cemetery’s receiving vault was used to temporarily store bodies until families could pick out a suitable burial plot or, during winter, store a body until the cemetery grounds were thawed and traversable by horse-drawn carriages. In 1945, the vault was permanently sealed, as there was space for bodies in the then-newly constructed West View Abbey. Six years later, an inscribed tablet written by Atlanta historian Fr...anklin Garrett was placed over its door. The inscription mentions the vault’s history, the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic, and its effect on Atlanta and the cemetery. . . . #friendsofhistoricwestviewcemetery #friendsofwestview #westviewcemetery #PreserveATL #thisplacematters #deserve2preserve #savingplaces #historicdistrict #historiccemeteries #westviewatlanta #weloveatl #historicplaces #historicpreservationmatters #historicarchitecture #atlantahistory #atlantaphotography #atlantaga #atlhistory #atlantaarchitecture #spanishplateresquestyle #igersatlanta #discoveratl #historicpreservation #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces

Did you know Westview once owned and operated an ambulance service? After World War II, the West View Peachtree Chapel - a funeral home owned and operated by the West View Cemetery Association - offered a twenty-four-hour ambulance service for distress calls or transportation to and from local hospitals. In the first picture, the ambulance sits outside the funeral home; in the second picture, the ambulance sits next to two of the funeral home's funeral coaches.... #friendsofhistoricwestviewcemetery #friendsofwestview #westviewcemetery #PreserveATL #preserveatlanta #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces

Come on in! Welcome to the Superintendent’s Office, located in the north wing. The office was the center of cemetery operations and is accessed up rough-hewn stone stairs through an original screen door and a paneled wooden door. The high ceiling is covered with asbestos acoustic tile, the walls are plaster with a marble base, and the floor is covered with vinyl asbestos tile. There is a deflection in the southwest corner of the floor that will have to be investigated once ...construction is underway. The north wall contains a square door opening into the third period addition, which was once a rounded arched opening to the exterior. Adjacent is a marble fireplace mantle, off centered. With the removal of the asbestos tile, original glazed tile can be seen surrounding the fireplace hearth. The before pictures of a project aren’t always glamorous, but we can’t wait to see the transforming work @landmarkpreservation will complete in the office. Thank you for being a Friend of Historic Westview so we can have beautiful history today and beyond. If you aren’t a friend yet, won’t you join us? Click our link in bio to be a part!

As we enter into a new month, we want to highlight the Westview entrance gate! (See what we did there? ) The current aluminum metal gate is not historic, or historically appropriate, and sits just outside of the arch at the original cemetery entrance. Historically the entrance gate, presumably iron, sat within the entrance arch. As you can see from the historic postcard and photograph, the gates latched in the center and were decorative. Two pedestrian access entrances were... on either side of the vehicular gate. As part of the Phase I rehabilitation, Landmark is recommending that the current gate be replaced with a custom, decorative iron gate based off the original as seen in historic postcard as much as possible. The new gate(s) would be placed in a new, historically appropriate location within the entrance arch. This would again allow pedestrian accessibility as historically appropriate. We are excited for the work Landmark will be doing and to one day walk through these restored gates with our families. Be a part of history and become a friend of Historic Westview Cemetery today! Head to the link in our bio for more info. #friendsofhistoricwestviewcemetery #friendsofwestview #westviewcemetery #restoringthewestviewgatehouse #PreserveATL #preserveatlanta #thisplacematters #deserve2preserve #savingplaces #historicdistrict #historiccemeteries #westviewatlanta #weloveatlanta #weloveatl #historicplaces #historicpreservationmatters #historicarchitecture #atlantahistory #atlantaphotography #atlantaga #atlhistory #atlantaarchitecture #spanishplateresquestyle #igersatlanta #discoveratlanta #discoveratl #historicpreservation #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces #landmarkpreservation #atlantapreservationcenter

The Historic Westview Cemetery Gatehouse was explored with Charles Bowen of the Friends of Historic Westview Cemetery, Greg Jacobs of Landmark Preservation, and David Y. Mitchell of the Atlanta Preservation Center for a collaborative experience with Professor Cari Goetcheus of the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design to share with her students the on-going work on this exciting piece of history. A Conditions Assessment and Preservation Plan for the Gatehous...e at Westview Cemetery is now being finalized with Landmark Preservation and the Friends of Historic Westview Cemetery. Thanks to your generous donations, we will soon start PHASE ONE with the rehabilitation and restoration of the North Wing interior. This is to include a welcome center in the Superintendent’s Office and unisex restrooms within the Third Period addition. This will also include a partial restoration of the exterior, including restoration of the entrance gate. __________ Many thanks to our growing body of donors who are making this preservation of history possible for future generations! If we're not friends yet, become one today by clicking the link in our bio! Change is coming. Be a part! #friendsofhistoricwestviewcemetery #friendsofwestview #westviewcemetery #PreserveATL #preserveatlanta #thisplacematters #deserve2preserve #savingplaces #historicdistrict #historiccemeteries #westviewatlanta #weloveatlanta #weloveatl #historicplaces #historicpreservationmatters #historicarchitecture #atlantahistory #atlantaphotography #atlantaga #atlhistory #atlantaarchitecture #spanishplateresquestyle #igersatlanta #discoveratlanta #discoveratl #historicpreservation #nationalregisterofhistoricplaces