Our Grounds
One visit to Fairmount, and you’ll realize it’s something special. This lush 280-acre expanse of trees, birds, wildlife, gardens and spectacular monuments is the perfect destination for a stroll, bike ride or picnic. As an important testament to Denver’s rich history, you’ll also find plenty of stories around every turn. Stop by and explore our grounds anytime, tag along on a tour or be part of our many events. You’ll be inspired and amazed by Fairmount’s greenery and heritage.
This is a cemetery...
Lives are commemorated – deaths are recorded – families are reunited –
memories are made tangible – and love is undisguised. This is a cemetery.
Communities accord respect, families bestow reverence, historians seek
information and our heritage is thereby enriched.
Testimonies of devotion, pride and remembrance are cast in bronze to pay
warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life, not the death –
of a loved one.
The cemetery is a homeland for memorials that are sustaining source of
comfort to the living. A cemetery is a history of people – a perpetual
record of yesterday and a sanctuary of peace and quiet today.
A cemetery exists because every life is worth loving and remembering
always.
Click through for photos of our beautiful and historic grounds.
Must-sees at Fairmount
Fairmount is home to several historic Denver landmarks, the largest stained glass collection in Colorado, the state’s most extensive arboretum, a state-designated wildlife viewing area, and one of the most extensive plantings of Heritage Roses in North America.
History
Founded in 1890, Fairmount is Denver’s second oldest cemetery. The grounds, monuments and community spaces were designed on a grand scale and to stand the test of time. For generations, Denver’s most prominent families have counted on Fairmount to provide a serene and beautiful resting place for their loved ones. Explore Fairmount’s rich history.
Arboretum
In its first year alone, Fairmount received almost 7,500 plantings—and the total has only grown from there. Fairmount’s green canopy and park-like atmosphere is the brainchild of landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze. His work at Fairmount immediately became the talk of Denver, and he subsequently designed City, Congress and Washington Parks, as well as the areas around the Capitol. Today, Schuetze is known as the father of Denver’s park system. Discover Fairmount’s huge arboretum.
The Ivy Chapel
Built in 1890, the Ivy Chapel reflects 13th century Ecclesiastical Gothic architecture and is designated a landmark by the City of Denver. With its flying buttresses and gargoyles, the Chapel is reminiscent of Notre Dame and other grand cathedrals in France, only on a much smaller scale.
Quebec Place At Fairmount.
Our new event center is ready for you to Celebrate A Life! Find out more by clicking here.
Chapel in the Pines
Built to filter and amplify Colorado’s incredible sunshine, spacious windows accentuate this 1941 version of English Gothic revival architecture.
Fairmount Mausoleum
Once the largest building of its kind between Kansas City and the West Coast, Fairmount Mausoleum opened in 1930 with one of Denver’s largest collections of stained glass.
Lower Ivy Terrace Crypts
This new above-ground burial development will eventually consist of six structures surrounded by walkways, trees and flowers. The architectural style will combine those of Fairmount’s notable historical buildings.
The Gate Lodge
A Denver Historic Landmark, the Gate Lodge was built in 1890 and now houses the Fairmount Heritage Foundation.
Lowry Post
Wander Fairmount’s military tribute section and discover the gravesites of Francis Brown Lowry and members of his WWI battalion.
Fitzsimmons Block
This veterans’ memorial contains plaques honoring the men and women who valiantly served our country in various wars. Fairmount interred many veterans prior to the opening of the Ft. Logan National Cemetery.
Garden of Honor
This Fairmount resting place is reserved for honorably discharged veterans and their spouses.
Spanish-American War Memorial
Men and women who fought and served our country in the Civil War and Spanish American War are buried here.
Nisei Japanese-American Memorial
This memorial honors Army veterans of Japanese American descent who fought in Europe during WWII. They served while their families were incarcerated in prison camps in Colorado and California.
For more images of all of these features, see our photo galleries. CLICK HERE.
Old Garden Roses
With one of the largest collections of Old Garden Roses in North America, Fairmount boasts at least 300 antique rose bushes and almost 60 different varieties. Tended to with care, the majority of these roses are over a century old. The cemetery even has its own varieties, credited with Fairmount Malton and Fairmount Chameleon.
Folklore has it that families immigrating to the New World from Europe imbedded rose clippings from their homelands in potatoes to keep them moist, and then wrapped the assembly in rags for the journey. Although there is much speculation on how the roses came to Fairmount, some believe the early settlers brought cuttings to Colorado in the same way.
Old Garden Roses top modern hybrids in that they can tolerate freezing temperatures and grow off their own root structure. They are also drought-hardy and easily stand up to Colorado’s hot summer sun and drying winds.
No wonder people travel from all over the world to visit our rose garden!