Illuminating History: Remains Lighting’s Wrought Brass Lantern at Graceland Cemetery
Remains Lighting was invited to contribute to a new formal entranceway of Chicago’s historic landmark Graceland Cemetery, a project blending timeless craftsmanship with historic preservation. We were engaged by Doug Hoerr and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects to make a new monumental wrought brass lantern placed at the apex of a wrought iron arch with massive stone piers. This archway at the main entrance on the corner of Irving Park Road and Clark Street demarks the threshold between the city and the park-like environment of the cemetery.
Photo by Scott Shigley
Our work encompassed engineering and fabricating a 3’ x 4’ bespoke lantern in cast and wrought brass, glazed in textured clear glass. We modeled elements from both antique patterns in our collection and digitally sculpted others related to period examples and references in the historic site architecture. The original dedication date of Graceland: 1860 is cut in brass letters & silhouetted on the upper faces. The whole was finished in a combination of black oil paint and aged patinated brass.
The fixture was craned into place in time for the dedication in October 2023.
Pictured below are scenes of our team working on the fixture's fabrication, patina, and assembly at our factory in Brooklyn, New York. To view more of our completed custom work, visit the Custom Galleries. To learn about the custom process, visit Custom Commissions.
