Wisconsin Memorial Park — A Gallery of Exquisite Art

Any art lover or history buff would appreciate the opportunity to visit one of our most exciting locations — Wisconsin Memorial Park. Located in Brookfield, this 160-acre park assists more than 2,000 families annually with burial needs, but it is hardly just a cemetery — it is also gallery of rare art, giving visitors a peek into not only American but also world history and culture.

One of Wisconsin Memorial Park’s most outstanding and unique features is its vast art collection. Most of the art is displayed in the Great Memorial Building, the park’s largest indoor mausoleum. Every corridor of the three-story building is adorned with hundreds of distinct works of art from all over the world, including paintings, mosaics, antique furniture, stained-glass windows, sculptures, statues, figurines, fine china and pottery.

In the 1930s, families began donating art to the park to serve as memorials to their loved ones buried there. Every week, the park receives calls from families wishing to donate pieces of art, each of which is reviewed by a board of artisans before accepted and placed on display.

The park’s collection of stained-glass windows, many of them imported from Europe, is one of the largest and most unique in the United States.

Visitors will find numerous original paintings, sculptures and reproductions of well-known paintings and sculptures on display in the Great Memorial Building. Also found are hand-carved cuckoo clocks and music boxes from the 19th century, as well as hand-carved chairs.

All photos by Phil Passon.

Displayed in the Great Memorial Building’s Heritage Collection Cabinets are Royal Daulton and Dresden figurines. The park also has an assortment of Hummel figurines and Saturday Evening Post figurines.

Several mosaics, some crafted in Italy and measuring as large as 18 feet by 10 feet, embellish the walls of the mausoleum and its chapels. These enormous, vividly colored mosaics illustrate patriotic themes and Biblical stories.

The building also houses several dignified and distinct displays of patriotic art. The Hall of Presidents, lined with portraits of past presidents of the United States, leads into The Freedom Rotunda, where a grand mosaic portraying scenes from American history and culture surrounds a large bronze statue of George Washington. At the other end of the hall is Patriot’s Lounge, a tribute to Purple Heart recipients, which contains reproductions of paintings depicting key battles of the American Revolutionary War.

These examples are just a few of the hundreds of art pieces, collectibles and rare objects stored at Wisconsin Memorial Park, not to mention many extraordinary outdoor features such as elaborate landscaping, fountains, birdbaths and cremation gardens. Here, the options are endless for memorializing your loved one.

Even the Great Memorial Building itself is a work of art. Its historical legacy began when Wisconsin Memorial Park opened in 1929 and began excavation work on Christmas Eve. The cornerstone was laid on June 22, 1930.

Today, the Great Memorial Building has a volume of 3.5 million cubic feet, takes up two acres and houses more than 12,000 crypts and niches. The building contains an estimated 118,000 square feet of Briar Hill, Bedford and Kasota stone; 660,000 square feet of Oak, Walnut, Cherry and Nakora woodwork; 42.5 million pounds of concrete; 1.7 million pounds of bronze and copper; 7.5 million pounds of imported marble in 30 varieties; and 175 stained-glass windows.

A final addition to the Great Memorial Building at Wisconsin Memorial Park is nearing completion. This expansion will house approximately 2,200 crypts on three different levels — one below the ground and two above — and 750 niches with an elegant selection of glass coverings.

To request brochures or learn more information about the art collection or burial, cremation or prearrangement options, call Wisconsin Memorial Park at (262) 781-7474.