150 Reasons to Celebrate

May 06, 2019

With 150 years under our belt, we are excited to celebrate Lake View Cemetery with our community and supporters over the next two years. Why a two-year celebration? Our founding board of trustees purchased the land in 1869 with our first burial taking place on August 24, 1870.

We kick-off our sesquicentennial celebrations with a ceremony recognizing America’s Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day at the James A. Garfield Memorial. The day will include patriotic music, speakers, and more.

In 2018, Cleveland-based photographer Michael Weil visited the Cemetery each month at night during a full moon to capture Lake View like it has never been seen before. As the first of a potential series honoring Lake View’s sesquicentennial, Weil’s stunning photography series, “Moonlight in the Gates,” will be displayed at locations within the Cemetery. The photos will be on exhibition between July 2019 and October 2020.

Michael Weil holds a Ph.D. in art history from Case Western Reserve University and is the founder of a local art gallery, Foothill Galleries. In addition to creating original art, Weil teaches on an adjunct basis at Cleveland Institute of Art. His photographs have been featured in exhibitions around Cleveland and have been acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Clinic, and by private collectors. His connection to Lake View Cemetery is deeply personal – his grandparents, father-in-law, father, sister-in-law, and his son Joshua, who passed away at age 18, are buried here.

Photo courtesy Michael Weil