This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/us/ben-bradlees-mausoleum-washington.html
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Ben Bradlee’s Mausoleum Sets Off a Gossip-Laden Squabble | Ben Bradlee’s Mausoleum Sets Off a Gossip-Laden Squabble |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| WASHINGTON — It lacked the pageantry of the funeral nearly a year before, but when the body of Benjamin C. Bradlee, the longtime editor of The Washington Post, was reinterred in a Georgetown cemetery here last October, it had an air of permanence. | WASHINGTON — It lacked the pageantry of the funeral nearly a year before, but when the body of Benjamin C. Bradlee, the longtime editor of The Washington Post, was reinterred in a Georgetown cemetery here last October, it had an air of permanence. |
| One of this city’s legendary figures had come to rest in a newly constructed granite mausoleum designed in part by his widow, Sally Quinn, and placed just inside the entrance of one of Washington’s most exclusive and historic cemeteries, Oak Hill. | One of this city’s legendary figures had come to rest in a newly constructed granite mausoleum designed in part by his widow, Sally Quinn, and placed just inside the entrance of one of Washington’s most exclusive and historic cemeteries, Oak Hill. |
| Yet at almost the same time, the city’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs was concluding that the mausoleum had been constructed illegally, without the necessary permit or associated historic preservation reviews. To the Washington-based advocacy group that had argued that the project threatened the cemetery’s historic entranceway, it appeared to be a victory. But this being Georgetown, where battles over preservation can take on epic proportions, it was only the beginning. | Yet at almost the same time, the city’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs was concluding that the mausoleum had been constructed illegally, without the necessary permit or associated historic preservation reviews. To the Washington-based advocacy group that had argued that the project threatened the cemetery’s historic entranceway, it appeared to be a victory. But this being Georgetown, where battles over preservation can take on epic proportions, it was only the beginning. |
| Now the city, with the support of Oak Hill, says that its judgment last fall was wrong, and has decided to exempt Mr. Bradlee’s mausoleum and others like it from regulatory hurdles. The reversal has infuriated the advocacy group, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, which is contesting the exemption rule and pressing forward with concerns over what it sees as mismanagement of one of the city’s historic landscapes. | Now the city, with the support of Oak Hill, says that its judgment last fall was wrong, and has decided to exempt Mr. Bradlee’s mausoleum and others like it from regulatory hurdles. The reversal has infuriated the advocacy group, the Cultural Landscape Foundation, which is contesting the exemption rule and pressing forward with concerns over what it sees as mismanagement of one of the city’s historic landscapes. |
| The case has become one of those juicy bits of tribal Washington gossip that Mr. Bradlee would have savored: long on lawyers and accusations and short on cool heads. As Georgetown’s biweekly newspaper put it, “Even at His Final Resting Place, Ben Bradlee Still Makes Waves.” | The case has become one of those juicy bits of tribal Washington gossip that Mr. Bradlee would have savored: long on lawyers and accusations and short on cool heads. As Georgetown’s biweekly newspaper put it, “Even at His Final Resting Place, Ben Bradlee Still Makes Waves.” |
| In one moment of bluster, at a hearing in late June, Matthew Green, a lawyer for the city, went as far as to suggest that Washington was dealing with “ghoulish moves by an officious intermeddler.” That led to accusations of ad hominem attacks and an assertion by a lawyer for the petitioners, which also include the D.C. Preservation League, that the city was misrepresenting their motives. | |
| The cemetery covers 22 sloping acres nestled in the heart of Georgetown. Its occupants include Edwin M. Stanton, who led the War Department during the Civil War; Katharine Graham, the revered publisher of The Post; and many congressional and cabinet officials. | The cemetery covers 22 sloping acres nestled in the heart of Georgetown. Its occupants include Edwin M. Stanton, who led the War Department during the Civil War; Katharine Graham, the revered publisher of The Post; and many congressional and cabinet officials. |
| The problem is that after more than a century and a half of burials, the cemetery is largely full, forcing it to put burial plots under pathways and in other nontraditional corners of the property. A new line of prominent mausoleum plots along one side of the cemetery’s historic entrance ellipse, where burials had not previously been allowed, was seen as a solution to the problem and, at hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, a way of keeping up with the ballooning costs of the cemetery’s upkeep. | The problem is that after more than a century and a half of burials, the cemetery is largely full, forcing it to put burial plots under pathways and in other nontraditional corners of the property. A new line of prominent mausoleum plots along one side of the cemetery’s historic entrance ellipse, where burials had not previously been allowed, was seen as a solution to the problem and, at hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, a way of keeping up with the ballooning costs of the cemetery’s upkeep. |
| When Ms. Quinn was told about the new plots, she jumped at the chance to upgrade from the smaller, out-of-the-way one she had bought years before and asked Stephen Muse, an architect and a member of the Old Georgetown Board, to design it. It was the first of the plots to be put into use. | When Ms. Quinn was told about the new plots, she jumped at the chance to upgrade from the smaller, out-of-the-way one she had bought years before and asked Stephen Muse, an architect and a member of the Old Georgetown Board, to design it. It was the first of the plots to be put into use. |
| The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which raises awareness about historic landscapes around the country, says it would have no problem with the resulting neo-Classical style mausoleum, made of gray-white granite and wrought iron, had it been placed elsewhere. But sitting immediately opposite the cemetery’s entrance and requiring a significant alteration of its late-19th-century entrance ellipse, the mausoleum denigrates the cemetery’s historic character, the foundation says. | The Cultural Landscape Foundation, which raises awareness about historic landscapes around the country, says it would have no problem with the resulting neo-Classical style mausoleum, made of gray-white granite and wrought iron, had it been placed elsewhere. But sitting immediately opposite the cemetery’s entrance and requiring a significant alteration of its late-19th-century entrance ellipse, the mausoleum denigrates the cemetery’s historic character, the foundation says. |
| One of the anchors of the space — the Gothic-style chapel designed by James Renwick Jr., who also designed the Smithsonian Institution — has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972. And the cemetery itself is considered a contributing element to the Georgetown Historic District, which is subject to strict regulation. | One of the anchors of the space — the Gothic-style chapel designed by James Renwick Jr., who also designed the Smithsonian Institution — has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972. And the cemetery itself is considered a contributing element to the Georgetown Historic District, which is subject to strict regulation. |
| “We continue to believe that Oak Hill Cemetery is the premier rural historic cemetery in the District of Columbia and should be afforded the same thoughtful stewardship that the premier rural cemeteries have elsewhere,” said Charles A. Birnbaum, the foundation’s president and chief executive. | “We continue to believe that Oak Hill Cemetery is the premier rural historic cemetery in the District of Columbia and should be afforded the same thoughtful stewardship that the premier rural cemeteries have elsewhere,” said Charles A. Birnbaum, the foundation’s president and chief executive. |
| Like other rural cemeteries across the northeast, Mr. Birnbaum said, Oak Hill would be a strong candidate for its own historic landmark status. “Our involvement has nothing to do with aesthetics or taste,” he said. “It has everything to do with the historic integrity and significance of Oak Hill.” | |
| Oak Hill and, now, the city do not see it that way. In the late June hearing, Jennifer Barbour, another city lawyer involved in the case, said the foundation’s request would put an undue burden on families during “a sacred period.” | Oak Hill and, now, the city do not see it that way. In the late June hearing, Jennifer Barbour, another city lawyer involved in the case, said the foundation’s request would put an undue burden on families during “a sacred period.” |
| City representatives would not comment because of the pending litigation, which is taking place before Washington’s Office of Administrative Hearings. Dave Jackson, the cemetery’s superintendent, said only that he was pleased with the city’s decision, which he said would prevent the “desecration” of mausoleums like Mr. Bradlee’s. | |
| Ms. Quinn, who is not a party to the legal dispute, declined to speak with a reporter. | Ms. Quinn, who is not a party to the legal dispute, declined to speak with a reporter. |
| In Georgetown, permits for construction of all sorts normally require input from a host of agencies, including the United States Commission of Fine Arts and its Old Georgetown Board, on which Mr. Muse sits, and Washington’s Historic Preservation Review Board. | In Georgetown, permits for construction of all sorts normally require input from a host of agencies, including the United States Commission of Fine Arts and its Old Georgetown Board, on which Mr. Muse sits, and Washington’s Historic Preservation Review Board. |
| “You are talking about Georgetown, which is a national historic district where you have to get permits for everything down to a small shed,” said Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League, which only recently teamed with the foundation. “I’m not sure why a mausoleum would be exempt from that.” | |
| Indeed, that is what the city’s initial review of the mausoleum concluded. “Based upon our review of facts, a building permit is required for this scope of work,” Jatinder Singh Khokhar, then the city’s acting chief building official, wrote in an email to the foundation in October. | Indeed, that is what the city’s initial review of the mausoleum concluded. “Based upon our review of facts, a building permit is required for this scope of work,” Jatinder Singh Khokhar, then the city’s acting chief building official, wrote in an email to the foundation in October. |
| But no permit application was ever filed. Instead, according to Matt Orlins, a department spokesman, representatives of the cemetery asked for a meeting with city regulators in early January. Afterward, the city agreed to reconsider, and ultimately issued a policy statement exempting mausoleums under 250 square feet, including Mr. Bradlee’s, from the construction permitting process. | But no permit application was ever filed. Instead, according to Matt Orlins, a department spokesman, representatives of the cemetery asked for a meeting with city regulators in early January. Afterward, the city agreed to reconsider, and ultimately issued a policy statement exempting mausoleums under 250 square feet, including Mr. Bradlee’s, from the construction permitting process. |
| In doing so, Mr. Birnbaum and Ms. Miller argue, the city may not have solicited the necessary public comment and may have ignored laws protecting the historic district. | In doing so, Mr. Birnbaum and Ms. Miller argue, the city may not have solicited the necessary public comment and may have ignored laws protecting the historic district. |
| “We’re in the dark here,” Mr. Birnbaum said. “We don’t know what happened during the period from when we were told a permit was required to, suddenly, when we were told it was not required.” | “We’re in the dark here,” Mr. Birnbaum said. “We don’t know what happened during the period from when we were told a permit was required to, suddenly, when we were told it was not required.” |
| The city says that it has never required construction permits for mausoleums, and that its determination in October was an error. The policy outlined this spring, it says, codifies a longtime unwritten understanding. | The city says that it has never required construction permits for mausoleums, and that its determination in October was an error. The policy outlined this spring, it says, codifies a longtime unwritten understanding. |
| Judge Bernard H. Weberman, who is overseeing the case, has laid out a timeline to try to reach a resolution this month. But if the parties cannot, the case is expected to go into early October, a year to the month after Mr. Bradlee was interred. | Judge Bernard H. Weberman, who is overseeing the case, has laid out a timeline to try to reach a resolution this month. But if the parties cannot, the case is expected to go into early October, a year to the month after Mr. Bradlee was interred. |