Arthur Rogers

At Rest at Cypress Lawn: Arthur Rogers (1848-1902)

A prominent member of the Democratic Party of California and a celebrated attorney, Arthur Rogers graduated from the University of California in 1872, sat on its Board of Regents, and was an active booster throughout his life. His mausoleum is one the finest examples of the classic Egyptian Revival style of the era. Above the entry is the Egyptian sun disk, traditionally used on all public buildings in Egypt. An urn signifying the eternal flame is above the intricately decorated door.

Bronze door at the Rogers Mausoleum
Bronze door at the Rogers Mausoleum
Interior of the Rogers Mausoleum
Interior of the Rogers Mausoleum

Cypress Lawn has many such example of this exotic genre. The style is both ancient and neo-classical, and in its day, very trendy. Architects copied the lines, jewelers were inspired by the forms and symbols, and major manufactures produced Egyptian themed clocks, silverware, cigar cutters, vases and even caskets. Some believe Egyptian Revival was a fad following the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922. Actually, that was its final period, and almost all the examples at Cypress Lawn were constructed years earlier.

The first major Egyptian Revival began after Napoleon’s campaigns in Egypt (1798-99) and the subsequent occupation by the British. It reappeared in the 1820s-1850s as a result of famous archaeological digs of the time and was primarily used for memorials, Masonic temples, and cemetery mausoleums. Then in the 1870s-1880s, Egyptian Revival motifs were in full vogue again, and now the styles became even more elaborate. A new round of archaeological digs and the discoveries of ancient tombs were front-page news. The ancient obelisks brought from Egypt and re-erected in New York, London, and Paris were dubbed “Cleopatra’s Needle.” It is from this period that Egyptomania emerged at Cypress Lawn.

Arthur is laid to rest within Section K, Triangle A of our East Campus. Click here to view an interactive map of our Memorial Park.