W.H. Matthews Mausoleum

The restoration of the W.H. Matthews mausoleum at Mount Hope Cemetery in Raleigh, NC is nearing completion. W.H. Matthews was a mason and contractor who lived in Raleigh.  Believed to have been designed by his son W.J. Matthews of Chicago, his mausoleum is one of the more significant monuments in the cemetery. Built from a variety of stones collected by Mr. Matthews from his work across North Carolina, it features a barrel vaulted roof and cast iron door.

Mount Hope was founded in 1872 as a city-owned African-American cemetery, among the first of its kind in North Carolina.

"A peculiar feature of the funeral of William Matthews...was the fact that the body was encased in a coffin of glass, the entire form being in plain view." © News & Observer 6/24/1902

"His life was a lesson of industry and thrift.  Having labored and earned money with which he purchased his freedom before the war, he prized the same so highly that he always tried to live a life free from blemish."© News & Observer 6/19/1902

Mausoleum Before Restoration

Restored Stone Work

Wake County Commissioners, Wake County School Board Members, Cary Town Council Members and many others braved the wet cold rain to celebrate the construction of WCPSS's latest Middle School Project located in western Cary, NC.  We are proud to be the architect for this exciting project and are looking forward to it's construction over the next year and a half.  The school features flexible collaborative areas, large windows for great views and daylighting, flexible courtyards for outdoor learning, and multiple colors of local brick.