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Founded in 1890, Fairmount is Denver’s second oldest cemetery. The grounds, monuments and community spaces were designed on a grand scale and to stand the test of time. For generations, Denver’s most prominent families have counted on Fairmount to provide a serene and beautiful resting place for their loved ones. Explore Fairmount’s rich history.
In its first year alone, Fairmount received almost 7,500 plantings—and the total has only grown from there. Fairmount’s green canopy and park-like atmosphere is the brainchild of landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze. His work at Fairmount immediately became the talk of Denver, and he subsequently designed City, Congress and Washington Parks, as well as the areas around the Capitol. Today, Schuetze is known as the father of Denver’s park system.
Built in 1890, the Ivy Chapel reflects 13th century Ecclesiastical Gothic architecture and is designated a landmark by the City of Denver. With its flying buttresses and gargoyles, the Chapel is reminiscent of Notre Dame and other grand cathedrals in France, only on a much smaller scale.
With one of the largest collections of Old Garden Roses in North America, Fairmount boasts at least 300 antique rose bushes and almost 60 different varieties. Tended to with care, the majority of these roses are over a century old. The cemetery even has its own varieties, credited with Fairmount Malton and Fairmount Chameleon.
Folklore has it that families immigrating to the New World from Europe imbedded rose clippings from their homelands in potatoes to keep them moist, and then wrapped the assembly in rags for the journey. Although there is much speculation on how the roses came to Fairmount, some believe the early settlers brought cuttings to Colorado in the same way.
Old Garden Roses top modern hybrids in that they can tolerate freezing temperatures and grow off their own root structure. They are also drought-hardy and easily stand up to Colorado’s hot summer sun and drying winds.