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Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
	Portal of the Folded Wings, Shrine to Aviation
Details
Established	1923; 101 years ago
Location	North Hollywood, Los Angeles and Burbank, California
Country	United States
Size	63 acres (25 ha)
Find a Grave	Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood and Burbank, California.

The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation, the final resting place for aviation pioneers — "barnstormers, daredevils and sundry architects of aviation". The cemetery is just to the south of Burbank Hollywood Airport. It has memorials to Amelia Earhart and others, honoring their accomplishments. The portal features colorful tiled dome and female figures stretching their arms to the heavens. The cemetery was named "Valhalla" for the hall of Odin, the Norse afterlife of slain warriors.

Among those interred in Valhalla are celebrities from the entertainment industry.^[1]

Founding

Valhalla was founded in 1923 by two Los Angeles financiers, John R. Osborne and C. C. Fitzpatrick. The Spanish Mission Revival entrance structure was designed by architect Kenneth McDonald Jr. For the decorative stone castings, McDonald hired Italian-born sculptor Federico A. Giorgi, who had created 30-foot-tall (9.1 m) statues of elephants and lions for the 1916 epic film Intolerance, and helped to craft the exterior of downtown's Million Dollar Theater. The gateway to the new cemetery cost $140,000.

The rotunda was dedicated March 1, 1925, with a concert by English contralto Maude Elliott. Picnickers spread blankets on the surrounding grassy expanse between three reflecting pools and flat cemetery markers, which were a new concept at the time. It became a tourist attraction and was used for concerts that were broadcast over radio station KELW by station owner Earl L. White. Just five months after the dedication, Osborne and Fitzpatrick were convicted of fraud. They had repeatedly sold the same burial plots—as many as 16 times—and netted a profit of $3–4 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. They were fined $12,000 each and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but served less than three years.^[2]

State control

The cemetery was taken over by the state of California. It is unclear how long the state owned the 63-acre (250,000 m²) cemetery, but Pierce Brothers bought it in 1950 and, within two years, closed the rotunda to vehicle traffic and moved the entry to the cemetery from Valhalla Drive in Burbank to Victory and Cahuenga boulevards in North Hollywood. There, they opened a two-story office building and mortuary.

On December 17, 1953—the 50th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's 12-second powered hop at Kitty Hawk—the rotunda was rededicated as the Portal of the Folded Wings, through the efforts of aviation fan and cemetery employee James Gillette.^[3] During the ceremony, the cremated remains of Walter R. Brookins, the first aviator to take a plane to an altitude of a mile and the Wright brothers' first civilian student, were interred.

When sculptor Giorgi died in 1963, he was buried outside the structure, near his masterpiece. Gillette was also buried outside, near the shrine he helped found.

The memorial was featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 426.^[4]

Earthquake

The cube-like shrine building was heavily damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake but restored and rededicated in 1996. Two years later, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sale of property

In 1958, Pierce Brothers sold its family-owned chain of Southern California mortuaries and cemeteries to Texas financier Joe Allbritton, who sold 20 acres (81,000 m²) of Valhalla for development.^[2] In 1991, the cemeteries and mortuaries were acquired by Service Corp. International of Houston, but the Pierce Brothers sign remains at Valhalla.

Pioneers' resting place

Beneath the memorial tablets rest the remains of other aviation pioneers, including:

Augustus Roy Knabenshue (1876–1960), who in 1904 became America's first dirigible pilot. He also founded a dirigible passenger service, from Pasadena to Los Angeles, in 1912.
Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout (1906–2003), who held numerous records for endurance, mileage and altitude.
James Floyd Smith (1884–1956), who built and flew his own plane in 1912 and invented the free-type manually operated parachute for the Army in 1918.
Hilder Florentina Smith (1890–1977), who became a parachute jumper in 1914. Two years later, she became the first female pilot to fly out of the bean patch that later became Los Angeles International Airport. She was married to James Floyd Smith.
Matilde Moisant, the second American woman to earn her pilot certificate—two days after her friend, journalist Harriet Quimby. In 1911, Moisant let Quimby be first, because Quimby needed the extra acclaim: She wrote about air races and the thrill of flight.
John B. Moisant (1868–1910), who designed and built the first metal plane. Matilde Moisant was his sister.

Notable burials

Note: this is a partial list. Use the following alphabetical links to find a name.

A

Fred Abbott (1874–1935), Major League Baseball player^[5]
Bert Acosta (1895–1954), aviation pioneer
Eddie Acuff (1903–1956), actor
Ernie Adams (1895–1947), actor
Luis Alberni (1886–1962), actor
Mary Alden (1883–1946), actress
James Anderson (1921–1969), actor
Harry Antrim (1884–1967), actor (unmarked)
Johnny Arthur (1883–1951), actor
Edwin August (1883–1964), actor, director, screenwriter

B

Jill Banner (1946–1982), actress
Lionel Belmore (1867–1953), actor, director
Bea Benaderet (1906–1968), actress, voice actress
Belle Bennett (1891–1932), actress
Willie Best (1916–1962), actor
Clem Bevans (1879–1963), actor
John G. Blystone (1892–1938), director
Stanley Blystone (1894–1956), actor
Symona Boniface (1894–1950), actress
Al Bridge (1891–1957), actor
Tyler Brooke (1886–1943), actor
Walter Brookins (1889–1953), aviation pioneer
Arthur Q. Bryan (1899–1959), actor, comedian, voice actor, radio personality
Nana Bryant (1888–1955), actress
Paul E. Burns (1881–1967), actor
Frederick Burton (1871–1957), actor

C

Georgia Caine (1876–1964), actress
Elizabeth Caldwell (1888–1970), silent screen actress ^{[citation needed]}
Brun Campbell (1884 –1952), musician
Mark Mitchell Campbell (1897–1963), barnstormer, stuntman, Lockheed executive
Yakima Canutt (1895–1986), actor, stuntman, director
Jay Chamberlain, (1925–2001), racing driver (unmarked)
Naomi Childers (1892–1964), actress
Ken Christy (1894–1962), actor
Mae Clarke (1910–1992), actress
Chester Clute (1891–1956), actor
Edmund Cobb (1892–1974), actor
John Collum (1926–1962), actor
Baldwin Cooke (1888–1953), actor and comedian
Melville Cooper (1896–1973), actor
Jim Corey (1883–1956), actor
Gino Corrado (1893–1982), actor
Aneta Corsaut (1933–1995), actress
Jane Cowl (1883–1950), actress
Richard Crane (1918–1969), actor
Nick Cravat (1912–1994), actor and stuntman

D

Richard Day (1896–1972), motion picture set designer
Claudia Dell (1910–1977), showgirl and actress
Joe DeRita (1909–1993), actor, comedian, member of the Three Stooges
Don Dillaway (1903–1982), actor
Douglass Dumbrille (1889–1974), film and TV actor
Edna Dunkerley (1907–1990), Studio Nanny for Hal Roach Studios Little Rascals and Our Gang Comedies

E

Warren S. Eaton (1891–1966), aviator
Cliff Edwards (1895–1971), actor, singer, voice-over artist

F

Morgan Farley (1898–1988), actor
Franklyn Farnum (1878–1961), actor
Eddie Firestone (1920–2007), actor
Louise E. Francis (1869-1932), journalist

G

Ceferino Garcia (1906–1981), boxer
Louis Gasnier, film director
Gorgeous George (1915–1963), professional wrestler
Gladys George (1904–1954), actress
Lowell Gilmore (1906–1960), actor
Leslie Goodwins (1899–1969), film director and screenwriter
Lita Grey (1908–1995), actress and 2nd wife of Charlie Chaplin

H

Oren W. Haglund (1905–1972), production manager of eleven ABC/Warner Brothers television series from 1955 to 1961
Jonathan Hale (1891–1966), actor
Florence Halop (1923–1986), actress
Lois Hamilton (1952–1999), model, author, actress, artist, aviator
Mahlon Hamilton (1880–1960), actor
Oliver Hardy (1892–1957), actor and comedian, partner of Stan Laurel
Leigh Harline (1907–1969), composer
Dell Henderson (1877–1956), actor, director, writer
Colin Higgins (1941–1988), director & screenwriter

I

Roger Imhof (1875–1958), actor

J

Selmer Jackson (1888–1971), actor

K

Fred Kelsey (1884–1961), pioneer actor
Crauford Kent (1881–1953), actor
Kathleen Key (1903–1954), actress
Charles Criswell King (1907–1982), psychic known as The Amazing Criswell
Bert Kinner (1882–1957), aviation pioneer
Fuzzy Knight (1901–1976), actor
June Knight (1913–1987), actress and dancer
Theodore Kosloff (1882–1956), actor, choreographer, ballet dancer
Paul Kruger (1895–1960), actor

L

Frank Lackteen (1897–1968), actor
Alice Lake (1895–1967), actress
Sheldon Lewis (1868–1958), actor
Robert Lowery (1913–1971), actor
Sam Lufkin (1891–1952), actor
James Luisi (1928–2002), actor

M

Barton MacLane (1902–1969), actor
Kermit Maynard (1897–1971), actor
Sam McDaniel (1886–1962), actor and brother of performers Hattie McDaniel & Etta McDaniel
Francis McDonald (1891–1968), actor
George Melford (1877–1961), actor, director
Michu Meszaros (1939–2016), actor and circus performer
Bob Mizer (1922–1992), photographer
John Moisant (1868–1910), aviation pioneer
Matilde Moisant (1878–1964), pioneer aviator
Mantan Moreland (1902–1973), actor
Kay Morley (1920–2020), actress
Mittie Morris (1874–1953), social reformer
Mae Murray (1885–1965), actress

N

Buddy Noonan (1937–1989), producer, The Roving Kind syndicated TV series
Fayard Nicholas (1914–2006), actor and dancer
James Nusser (1905-1979), actor

O

Wheeler Oakman (1890–1949), actor

P

Virginia Pearson (1886–1958), pioneering film actress
Eddy Polo (1875–1961), actor, stuntman, the first to parachute off the Eiffel Tower

R

"Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom (1904–1976), champion boxer, actor
Gail Russell (1924–1961), actress

S

Lewis Sargent (1903–1970), actor
Charles Sellon (1870–1937), actor
Eve Southern (1900–1972), actress
Charles Stevens (1893–1964), actor (unmarked)
Onslow Stevens (1902–1977), actor (unmarked)
Madame Sul-Te-Wan (1873–1959), actress

T

Charlie Taylor (1868–1956), aviation engineer
Lyle Tayo (1889–1971), actress
Alma Tell (1898–1937), actress
Alice Terry (1900–1987), actress
Roland Totheroh (1890–1967), cinematographer
Lorna Thayer (1919–2005), actress

V

Alberta Vaughn (1904–1992), actress
Martha Vickers (1925–1971), actress and model
Josef von Stroheim (1922–2002), sound editor (unmarked)

W

Anna Mae Walthall (1894-1950), actress
Ken Weatherwax (1955–2014), actor^[6]
Rudd Weatherwax (1907–1985), animal trainer
Bud Westmore (1918–1973), makeup artist^[7]
Alice White (1904–1983), actress
Dave Willock (1909–1990), actor
Henry Willson (1911–1978), talent agent
Frederick Worlock (1886–1973), actor

Y

Chief Yowlachie (1891–1966), Native American actor

References

^ Fleming, Charles (February 9, 2019). "A great L.A. Walk: Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Bloom, Stephen G. "Valhalla Cemetery Records History of Famous, Forgotten". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
^ Koontz, Giacinta Bradley. "History of Portal of the Folded Wings". Portal of the Folded Wings. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
^ "Library/Memorial – Visiting (426) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University".
^ Lee, Bill (2015). The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of More Than 7,600 Major League Players and Others. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 978-1476609300. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
^ Bartlett, James (October 19, 2017). "On Halloween, a Deceased Child Star Gets the Sendoff He Deserves". LA Weekly. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3d ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 801. ISBN 978-1476625997.

External links

34°11′25″N 118°21′13″W / 34.19028°N 118.35361°W / 34.19028; -118.35361

[fleming-1] Fleming, Charles (February 9, 2019). "A great L.A. Walk: Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 10, 2019.

[bloom-2] Bloom, Stephen G. "Valhalla Cemetery Records History of Famous, Forgotten". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[3] Koontz, Giacinta Bradley. "History of Portal of the Folded Wings". Portal of the Folded Wings. Retrieved January 13, 2013.

[4] "Library/Memorial – Visiting (426) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University".

[5] Lee, Bill (2015). The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of More Than 7,600 Major League Players and Others. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 978-1476609300. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[6] Bartlett, James (October 19, 2017). "On Halloween, a Deceased Child Star Gets the Sendoff He Deserves". LA Weekly. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[7] Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3d ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 801. ISBN 978-1476625997.

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Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery