Forest Lawn Cemetery

History

Forest Lawn Cemetery was established in 1906 and is the most modern of the eight cemeteries owned and operated by the City with more than 70,000 interments. The City of Norfolk purchased a tract of Norfolk County property from George S. Bunting to create the cemetery. Prior to Bunting’s ownership, the Langley family owned the property for generations. The Langley Family Burial Ground was included in this purchase and remains as a historical point of interest today. There are several historical lots at Forest Lawn at which various commemorative ceremonies are held on Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, and related holidays. Free tours of these sites are available by appointment.

Although there are many notable monuments, sculptures, and mausoleums in Forest Lawn, the community mausoleum stands alone as the cemetery’s crowning architectural element. It is an artistically sculptured marble mausoleum constructed in 1920 and touted at the time as “Massive in Design – Built for Eternity”. Today the interior of polished marble and bronze, illuminated in part by a stained glass skylight reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright design, is as stately and elegant as it was nearly 100 years ago. It contains a spacious chapel, 5 memorial rooms, 24 “deluxe” sections, 24 separate family sections and 600 individual compartments. It is hard to believe that the City initially contracted with the National Mausoleum Corporation (NAC) for $7,897.50 plus 5% of all monthly sales to open the mausoleum. The City owns the mausoleum now as NAC went out of business many years ago. It would cost millions to construct a solid marble structure of its kind today.

In addition to its architectural and historical elements, Forest Lawn Cemetery is a natural arboretum with over 70 species of trees. Throughout the season, visitors can find beautiful gardens of annuals and perennials as well. To learn more about the horticultural aspects of Forest Lawn, please visit our Horticulture page or call (757) 441-2654 to schedule a tour.

Contact Information

8100 Granby Street Norfolk, Virginia 23505, Phone (757) 441-1752, Fax (757) 531-9164 (map)

Office Hours

Monday – Sunday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Cemetery Hours

Sunrise to Sunset

Aerial Photograph & Plot Information

Click here for an aerial view of Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Click here for a map of the Forest Lawn Cemetery.

*USGenWeb Archives, a cooperative network of volunteers that provides genealogical information on the Internet, has partnered with the Bureau of Cemeteries to provide an interment catalogue of Forest Lawn Cemetery. This catalogue is not complete. It is updated from Bureau records every six months. The Bureau is working to provide an official, accurate, searchable City interment database online. If you cannot locate an interment, please call (757) 441-2654 or e-mail bobette.nelson@norfolk.gov for more information. To access the catalog, click here.

Are you interested in volunteering to help us collect genealogical information, restore and preserve Forest Lawn cemetery? If so, please click here for more information.