Los Angeles National Cemetery (Los Angeles, California)

USA / California / Westwood / Los Angeles, California / Sepulveda Boulevard, 950
 cemetery  Add category
950 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 268-4675

Office Hours:
Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

Visitation Hours:
Open daily,
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except Memorial Day 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

In 1973 the Veterans Administration assumed major responsibility for veterans burial services when the National Cemetery System (except for Arlington National Cemetery) was transferred over to the Veterans Administration from the Department of the Army.
The Agency was charged with the operation of the National Cemetery System, including the marking of graves of all persons in national and State cemeteries (and the graves of veterans in private cemeteries, upon request) as well and administering the State Cemetery Grants Program.
The Los Angeles National Cemetery, located adjacent to the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System campus, has grown to more than 114 acres since it's first interment a few days prior to the May 22, 1889 dedication of the cemetery.

In 1973 management of the cemetery was transferred from the (then) Veterans Administration Medical Center to the National Cemetery System.

The Los Angeles National Cemetery is one of 11 facilities operated by the Veterans Administration on lands shared with national veterans' homes or asylums for disabled soldiers.
The Pacific Branch of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was established in 1887 on Santa Monica ranch lands donated by Senator John P. Jones and Arcadia B. de Baker. The following year, the site grew by an additional 200 acres.
In 1890, 20 more acres were appended for use as a veterans' cemetery.
With more than 1,000 veterans in residence, a new hospital was erected in 1900.
It was replaced in 1927 by Wadsworth Hospital and a second facility, Brentwood Hospital, was also built in the 1920's.

Some of the built features are unusual, including an administration building-chapel (1939-40) and the NCA's only indoor columbarium (1940-41) both built by the Works Progress Administration in a distinctive Spanish Revival style of stucco and tile. The original gatehouse and entrance gates have been removed.

Two unusual canine burials distinguish Los Angeles National Cemetery, although this practice is prohibited today. Old Bonus, an adopted pet of residents in the soldiers’ home, and Blackout, a war dog wounded in the Pacific during World War II, are both buried here.

A granite obelisk erected in Memory of the Men Who Offered Their Lives in Defense of Their Country is situated in the San Juan Hill area of the cemetery. Date of dedication and donor information has been lost over the years.

A monument to Civil War Soldiers was erected in 1942. A bronze soldier standing at parade rest is perched atop a boulder The United Spanish War Veterans monument, also known as the "Spirit of ’98" is a bright white marble composition of three figures completed in 1950 by sculptor Roger Noble Burnham. The memorial crumbled after a 1971 earthquake. In 1973, sculptor David Wilkens re-created the monument out of concrete and plaster, reinforcing it with rebar. The plaque from the original sculpture survived and was embedded on the new sculpture.

In 1997, the Los Angeles National Cemetery established a Rose Garden Ossuary for scattering of cremated remains.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_National_Cemetery
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   34°3'41"N   118°27'13"W

Comments

  • his used to be called Sawtelle Cemetary. Did they change the name?
  • Sawtelle Cemetery was the informal name. There is a monument at the south east corner to soldiers and sailors of the Spanish American War.
  • 68,000 graves of military and their dependants. 14 Medel of Honor recipients.
This article was last modified 11 years ago