Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Funeral Home in Portland, Oregon
In 1901, the original Portland Crematorium was established as the first of its kind west of the Mississippi. The established gradually expanded in its services and physical footprint in the following decades, and today is a 8-story tall complex of maze-like hallways, elaborate memorials and crypts, and beautiful stained glass and statues.
The mausoleum is 3 stories above ground, and 5 stories down the side of the bluff overlooking the Willamette River and Oaks Bottom. The exterior of the building is home to the aptly named Portland Memorial Mausoleum Mural, one of the largest murals in the United States, covering over 50,000 square feet. Completed in 2009, it is hand-painted and depicts the Oaks Bottom Wetlands Wildlife Area.
On the inside, the hallways seem to go on forever—there is in fact more than 5 miles (8 km) of hallways on all levels. It might be the closest thing Portland has to Seattle’s Pike Place Market, layout wise. Many wealthy early Portlanders are buried here, some with their own rooms or halls, and various other wings are named after religious figures and notable people. Highly ornate stained glass crafted by Povey Brothers and ironwork are found throughout. The site features large underground chapels with marbel statues from Italy and a sarcophagus. There is also a room dedicated to children burials, with a teddy bear in front of each crypt and an elevated fountain in the center.
The mausoleum also features the lavish Rae room, the historic private tomb of George Rae, one of the wealthiest men in Portland history. The tomb is the only one that has a dedicated entrance at ground level, and is only to be opened one day per year on Memorial Day, even for staff members.
