People & Places

Comments (4) BEST STARGAZING - 2009

Calvary Cemetery; Home of Peace Memorial Park

Calvary Cemetery; Home of Peace Memorial Park

Calvary Cemetery; Home of Peace Memorial Park

4201 Whittier Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

323-261-3106

Map & Details>>

While late greats from Hollywood and L.A. rest in cemeteries spread throughout the county (notably at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and Forest Lawn Memorial Park), for a taste of the red-carpet Golden Age, a trip to East L.A. and the 136-acre Catholic Calvary Cemetery is necessary, along with a visit across the street to its smaller, Jewish counterpart, the Home of Peace Memorial Park. Calvary's majestic, Ross Montgomery–designed mausoleum is home to L.A.'s old Catholic elite (the Doheny family has a gated crypt located off the main aisle, near oil man Harry Sinclair and his family), as well as the Barrymore acting clan, Lou Costello (sans Bud Abbott), and early film vamp Pola Negri. Silent-screen legend Raymond Novarro and jazz great Jelly Roll Morton are buried outside. Calvary's rolling fairways are also the final resting place of local Catholic gypsies, whose graves are marked by wine bottles. Home of Peace is less noteworthy architecturally than Calvary, but offers more shade and is packed with such show-business greats as Fanny Brice (she's inside the main mausoleum, among the book-shaped urns), Curly and Shemp Howard of Three Stooges fame, movie moguls Louis B. Mayer and Carl Laemmle and, most memorably, the Warner Brothers, Jack, Harry and Sam, who are interred in separate family crypts. Legend has it that Jack, the last surviving brother, asked for his crypt to be located as far from his brothers' as possible. Calvary Cemetery, 4201 Whittier Blvd., Boyle Heights. (323) 261-3106, Mon.-Sun., 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (5 p.m. when time changes). Home of Peace Memorial Park, 4334 Whittier Blvd., Boyle Heights. (323) 261-6135, Sun.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Closed Sat.)

—Steven Mikulan

Download our Free Best Of App

Write Your Comment

*indicates required fields. Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form. All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site. Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.

  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *

    (The four characters are not case sensitive):

Search Best Of Awards

for free stuff, concert and dining info & more!

Most Popular Stories

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy