Fairview Mausoleum was constructed by George L. Thomas in 1912 and existed until
1996. Located at 6316 W. Fairview Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fairview served as
a community mausoleum. In 1952, the owners filed for bankruptcy and the mausoleum
fell into disrepair. In 1994, Fairview Mausoleum Maintenance Company, Inc. filed a
lawsuit to force the City of Milwaukee to take over the responsibility of the
mausoleum grounds. The company stated that they had not been able to take proper
care of the grounds for ten years and that the $100,000 remaining in the Fairview
Mausoleum Trust was not enough to continue the maintenance. This lawsuit led to the
eventual takeover of grounds operations by the City of Milwaukee.
The mausoleum, originally constructed of black granite, was neglected for years and
continued to deteriorate until it was finally condemned in 1996. The necessity to
transfer the human remains from the property resulted in a contract with Brett
Funeral Home and Graceland Cemetery. All 1,000 human remains were transferred from
Fairview Mausoleum to the Brett Funeral Home and re-interred in the Graceland
Cemetery between December 1996 and May 1997. Although Fairview Mausoleum no longer
exists, a pair of large stone pillars placed in Section 11 of the Graceland Cemetery
mark the new resting place of those formerly interred at Fairview Mausoleum.
