Unearthing Stories at Woodlawn with a Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen

Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York, isn't just a final resting place; it's a sprawling outdoor museum, a testament to lives lived, and a repository of history. This video offers an extraordinarily rare and personal glimpse into its depths, guided by Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen, the Anthony W. and Lulu C. Wang Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Alice shares her deep passion for stained glass and the extraordinary collection at Woodlawn—boasting some 1200 mausoleums featuring stained glass. Her connection to Woodlawn began years ago when a publication of hers, featuring a design drawing from the Met's collection, led to the discovery that the corresponding window was, in fact, at Woodlawn, unknown to her at the time.

Unearthing Stories at Woodlawn with a Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen

She humorously recounts her first unplanned visit, stemming from her mother-in-law's desire to be buried in the family mausoleum at Woodlawn. Upon arriving, she unexpectedly met Susan, a Woodlawn representative, who then led her to the mausoleum. It was there, upon examining the back of the family's monument, that Alice had a stunning realization: "Oh my gosh, this is a Tiffany window!"—a detail her mother-in-law had never mentioned. Though now poorly repaired, this discovery sparked a profound interest.

This initial encounter led to a pivotal invitation from Susan: "She unlocked for me some 50 mausoleums in one afternoon!" Alice describes the exhilarating experience of dashing around, struck by the beauty and scale of what she was seeing. Even as light faded, Susan would open the mausoleums, clear away webs and leaves, and illuminate the glass from behind with a flashlight, revealing their hidden splendor. It was in these moments that Alice truly grasped the immense importance and unique significance of Woodlawn's stained glass collection.

The conversation delves into the enormously ambitious project now underway to document these windows, both art historically and from a conservation perspective. Alice highlights the critical need for this work, recalling instances of severe damage, like putting her finger through a scale in the gorgeous Gallatin window within a McKim, Mead & White mausoleum. She also touches on past security challenges, noting that "a lot of windows were stolen in the 1980s—great Tiffany landscape windows primarily."

This meticulous documentation is the crucial first step, providing Woodlawn with the materials needed to reach out to family members, inform them of the windows' dire shape, and initiate conservation efforts. Ultimately, this vital work is contributing to an extraordinary database of stained glass in America.