The Necropolis: First Step Up to Heaven

THE NECROPOLIS

His associates called him "The Builder," and well they might. In the space of 50 years, Millionaire Mortician Hubert Eaton transformed 55 acres of mud, brambles and neglected tombstones into the world's most famous necropolis—Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, Calif. Half of Hollywood is buried there, amid rolling lawns, splashing fountains, marble statuary, all of which proclaims that Death Can Be Beautiful. Eaton's handiwork evoked virulent attack (Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death) and savage satire (Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One). In fact, the reality of Forest Lawn defied...