Maplewood panel urges owners to consider local historic designation for Forest Lawn Park Mausoleum

City staff said the Maplewood Heritage Preservation Commission is prepared to support a local historic designation for the Forest Lawn Park Mausoleum but said the privately owned property must submit the application. "Once the Historic Preservation Commission reviews it and approves it, it then goes to a public hearing in the Planning Commission," staff member Joe told commissioners.

Joe said the commission has an archival National Register of Historic Places inventory nomination form from the 1980s and noted the mausoleum was identified by independent surveyors as one of two significant cemetery mausoleums in Ramsey County. "It was one of two cemetery mausoleums in all of Ramsey County that independent surveyors marked as significant," Joe said.

Joe cautioned that, because the property is privately owned, owners must file the application with the city; if they accept local designation, any significant exterior alteration would require review. "If they do do that, it just wouldn't be locally designated anymore," Joe said, explaining the tradeoffs and review process. He added that Michael Coop at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is available to walk owners through the requirements.

Commission discussion stressed the mausoleum’s rarity and its replacement cost. Joe noted the original project cost was about $200,000 in the 1980s and estimated that an equivalent project in 2025 would likely cost around $5,000,000 because of the scarcity of skilled craftsmen. Commissioners encouraged staff to contact the cemetery owners to offer guidance and to provide the prepared application materials.

Next steps: staff will deliver the application form and offer technical assistance; the commission will wait to receive an application from the property owners before scheduling its formal review and any subsequent public hearings.