Downtown cemeteries and graveyards are finding new life as urban parks and entertainment venues. Despite the challenges involved in converting these spaces to more active use, there are many examples of downtown leaders making the most of every square inch of green space in the city center.
Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter recently reported on two examples. The first, historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, is both an active cemetery and host to a regularly sold out event called Nightfall.
As early as the 1860s, Green-Wood Cemetery was attracting visitors for family outings, carriage rides, sculpture viewing, and bird watching. In 2019, at the first Nightfall event, thousands of candles guided visitors along the cemetery’s winding paths to see musicians, circus performers, black and white films, storytellers, and more.
Hollywood Forever is also an active cemetery and a cultural events center in the heart of Hollywood, CA. The full schedule of cultural events includes outdoor film screenings, concerts, literature events, lectures, live podcast tapings, Dia de Los Muertos activities, and more. There are even outdoor yoga classes on the cemetery lawns seven days a week.
The expanding role of cemeteries is not without detractors. “I think there are those who have a narrow definition of what cemeteries are,” says Harry Weil, Green-Wood’s director of public programs and special projects. “And I’m trying to … reimagine what a cemetery can be in the 21st century.”
More on activating unique spaces appears regularly in the pages of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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