What Do You Know About Mountain View Cemetary?

Currently, people cannot wait for Halloween, which is next Wednesday. Everyone is thinking about haunted attractions, pumpkin carvings, trick or treating and festive designs. Right now, graves and tombstones may remind people of Halloween but it reminds me of a very special place in Oakland that I like to go very often, the cemetery.

A lot of people get spooked out when they see a view of a flat barren and soulless cemetery filled with tombstones but Mountain View cemetery is different. It has breathtaking views of the bay, to die for landscapes, amazing historical figures, and contains many memories that I have made over the last few years.

Top of Mountain View Cemetary

Mountain View cemetery in Oakland is located on 5000 Piedmont Ave, which is on the same street as Fentons Creamery and Restaurant. This place is rather remotely hidden so one must really have to get inside the gate to see the actual cemetery.

Interestingly, Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York City’s central park, UC Berkeley and Stanford University, also designed this cemetery. Olmsted wanted to create a place where man and nature could exist in harmony, so he accomplished by making it into a park-like-cemetery with beautiful flowers, bubbling fountains, gorgeous crypts, and plenty of trees and ponds.

Domingo Ghirardelli's Tombstone

Samuel Merritt's Tombstone

With Olmsted’s reputation, many historical and notable figures are buried here. Since so many of them were quite wealthy, there is one section in the cemetary that is known as "Millionaires' Row.” In Millionaires’ Row lies Domingo Ghirardelli, who established the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Samuel Merritt, early Mayor of Oakland, and Henry J. Kaiser, founder of Kaiser Permanente. 

Not in Millionaires’ Row but is one very notable figure that my friends and I have longed to visit but have not accomplished in finding is Mac Dre, the rapper. He was born in Oakland and his music gained world wide popularity in the late 1990’s. However his career ended with his death in 2004 but even till today, he remains famous.

Macdre's Tombstone

Most importantly, my grandfather was buried here. Every time I come here, which is very often, I go and visit his grave. It is said that this cemetery has very good feng shui and I believe that because the area my grandpa was buried directly faces the bay area. With his grave buried on the very top of the cemetery, there is nothing that impedes my view of Oakland and some parts of San Francisco. It is absolutely stunning!

This cemetery offers so much more than just your average cemetery. I have only touched the surface but next week I will continue on bringing you light into this beautiful place. 

To be continue....