Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101 to 4 p.m. (closed holidays and weekends)
Cemetery Grounds: Daily - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Hours of Operation:
24/7 on-call service for emergency needs: (310) 458-8717
Office: Monday through Friday - 8 a.m. Mausoleum: Monday through Friday - 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; weekends and holidays - 10 a.m. Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum is wholly owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica - one of the few municipally-owned cemeteries in California and the only City owned mortuary in t
he U.S. The City purchased the cemetery in 1897 and the Mausoleum in 1972. With its lush grounds and beautiful Mausoleum containing breathtaking stained glass windows, statues, murals, and Italian marble, Woodlawn offers a reflective and peaceful environment for you and your loved ones. Woodlawn is one of only two Cemeteries in the Los Angeles area that offers green burial, the eco-friendly alternative to traditional burial. Green burial is a form of interment designed to have minimal environmental impact, especially when compared to traditional burial methods. With this process, burials are performed using biodegradable products such as a shroud made of organic fabric or a simple wooden casket with no metals. No cement vaults are used, and no embalming chemicals that contain hazardous products such as formaldehyde are used. Each year, traditional burials place hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic embalming fluid and millions of pounds of metal and concrete into the earth for perpetuity. Instead of contributing more imperishable waste to the environment, green burial nurtures the natural cycles of growth and fosters a greater union with nature. It offers an eco-friendly process to return our bodies to the earth and a meaningful way to honor the life of a loved one. Eternal Meadow, the section of Woodlawn Cemetery devoted exclusively to green burial, is a naturalistic wildflower meadow garden thoughtfully designed to emphasize the sanctity of life and harmony with nature. The space features diverse grasses and wildflowers native to California that also provide a habitat for native birds and pollinator insects, including the endangered Monarch butterfly, contributing to the cycle of growth. Whether you are here to celebrate life through one of our special programs, are ready to plan for your future, or have lost a loved one and are in time of need, Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary is here for you.
12/19/2025
Wishing all a safe and Happy Holiday season. Here are our operating hours for the Cemetery grounds, Mausoleum & Office for the holiday season. (Please note: Office Staff can be reached 24/7 at (310) 458-8717 x1 for emergencies such as the passing or imminent passing of a loved one or facility emergencies.)
CEMETERY GROUNDS
Daily: 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM
MAUSOLEUM
December 20 & December 21 - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
December 22 through December 24: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
December 25: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
December 26: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
December 27 & December 28: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
December 29 through 31: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
January 1: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
January 2: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
January 3 and January 4: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
OFFICE
December 20 & December 21 - Closed
December 22 & December 23: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
December 24: 8:00 AM to 12 Noon
December 25: Closed
December 26: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
December 27 & December 28: Closed
December 29 & 30: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
December 31: 8:00 AM to Noon
January 1: Closed
January 2: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
January 3 and January 4: Closed
(Note: The office is closed all holidays and weekends)
05/27/2024
Memorial Day 2024 - Remember & Honor
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
01/30/2024
Picture It! 📷 at Woodlawn
Woodlawn is a photogenic, historic landmark in the center of Santa Monica. Capture the spirit, beauty and/or essence of Woodlawn and send your photo to [email protected]. We’ll regularly feature the best shots. Beautiful January days are not too uncommon in Santa Monica and yesterday was one of them. We thank Ann Naylor who sent us this beauty shot of the grand James & Mary Wood tombstone against the clear blue sky. James and Mary Wood were two early Santa Monica residents who passed away in 1928 and 1942 respectively. This majestic monument graces the southeast section of the Cemetery grounds.
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
01/17/2024
Did you know ...
○•═•○•─•○•═•○
.. that in 2016 Woodlawn became the second cemetery in the Los Angeles area to offer green/natural burial? Casket burial plots and cremation graves for green/natural interments are now both available in Eternal Meadow, Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary's green/natural burial section. With green/natural burial, there is no embalming and there are no cement vaults. Burials are completed using only caskets made of wood with no metals or lacquers, burial shrouds made of organic fabric, or biodegradable urns for cremation interments. Eco-friendly concepts are also at work above ground. Eternal Meadow is composed of native California grasses and wildflowers that provide habitat for the region's native birds and pollinator insects. For more information, contact our office by phone at (310) 458-8717 or by email at [email protected].
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
12/28/2023
Since 2011, Ian Kimbrey has been working to increase the region’s bluebird population including the numbers here at Woodlawn. The nesting season ended a few weeks ago and the final numbers for the year are in. According to Kimbrey, 2023 has been a big success. The number of nests at Woodlawn increased from seven in 2022 to nine this past year, and the number of eggs produced increased from 39 to 49. 41 chicks successfully left the nest in 2023, a 64% increase from 2022.
Upon seeing the cartoon bluebirds in Disney’s “Song of the South,” as a child in England, Kimbrey was surprised not to see many when he first arrived in California in 1980. In 2009, he finally put up a nest box at Penmar golf course and his commitment to increasing their numbers began in earnest. Bluebirds are a colorful addition to Woodlawn and the region, but they’re also beneficial. They eat a lot of bugs, reducing the need for pesticides. They are, however, affected by heavy predation and are threatened by habitat loss and degradation. They also face competition for nesting cavities from non-native birds. Kimbrey hopes to build on his success in 2024. You can follow his adventures on Instagram - . And we thank Barbara Weaver for her images of these beautiful creatures on the Cemetery grounds.
12/25/2023
From the Staff of Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary , have a safe and Happy Holiday season. Here are our operating hours for the remainder of the holiday season and please note Office Staff can be reached 24/7 at (310) 458-8717 x1 for emergencies such as the passing or imminent passing of a loved one or facility emergencies:
CEMETERY GROUNDS
Daily: 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM
MAUSOLEUM
Weekends, Holidays: 10 :00 AM - 4:00 PM
December 26 through December 29: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
OFFICE
December 25: CLOSED
December 26 through December 28: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
December 29: 8:00 AM to 12 NOON
December 30 through January 1: CLOSED
Regular hours will resume Tuesday, January 2
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
12/22/2023
~ ON THIS DAY ~
Born: Barbara Billingsley - Film & Television Actor
(December 22, 1915 - October 10, 2010)
After years of uncredited and small parts in film and television, Barbara Billingsley landed her first and only major film role in 1957, co-starring with Dean Stockwell and Natalie Trundy in "The Careless Years." That same year, she made her mark on TV as June Cleaver, the matriarch of the Cleaver family, in "Leave It to Beaver." The top-rated sitcom ran for six seasons from 1957 to 1963. She reprised the role in the 1980s reboot, "The New Leave It to Beaver," which aired on The Disney Channel and TBS from 1984 to 1989. She passed away in 2010 and is interred in the southern end of the the Cemetery grounds.
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
12/14/2023
Picture It! 📷 at Woodlawn
Woodlawn is a photogenic, historic landmark in the center of Santa Monica. Capture the spirit, beauty and/or essence of Woodlawn and send your photo to [email protected]. We’ll regularly feature the best shots. The Moongate is a recent addition to Woodlawn, located in Eternal Meadow, the cemetery's green/natural burial section. We thank Kristina Sado for her beautiful photograph. You can find out if green/natural burial is right for you by contacting our office at (310) 458-8717 x2 for more information or to schedule a tour of the Meadow with a Cemetery representative. Information can also by requested by email at [email protected] .
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
08/08/2023
Picture It! 📷 at Woodlawn
Woodlawn is a photogenic, historic landmark in the center of Santa Monica. Capture the spirit, beauty and/or essence of Woodlawn and send your photo to [email protected]. We’ll regularly feature the best shots. The Ireito is a 15-foot-high granite memorial monument on the Cemetery grounds that was erected after Japanese Americans returned from World War II camps. Today, it has come to represent the Japanese Americans who settled in our region and all other generations of Japanese Americans, including those who served in the U.S. military. An interfaith service is held at the Ireito each Memorial Day. We thank Phyllis Hayashibara for sharing these photographs.
07/27/2023
~ ON THIS DAY ~
Passed Away: William Tuttle - acclaimed Hollywood make-up artist
(April 13, 1912 - July 27, 2007)
As a makeup artist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), William Tuttle worked with the movie industry’s biggest stars and numerous well-known films. In 1965, he received an honorary Oscar for his impressive work in "7 Faces of Dr. Lao," 17 years before makeup became an official Oscar category. Later in life, he developed makeup company Custom Color Cosmetics and taught film classes at the University of Southern California (USC) from 1970 to 1995. Tuttle is interred in the Woodlawn Mausoleum.
Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum - FD #2101
06/22/2023
|[◘]|•|[◘]|--- Industry News & Trends ---|[◘]|•|[◘]|
With the introduction of Eternal Meadow in 2017, Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary has been on the forefront of the natural burial movement in Southern California. Recently, additional options in the trend towards eco-frriendly end-of-life options have been developed. This news feature from CBS News provides a inside look at one of those new options - human composting. Though not a service provided by Woodlawn, human composting is now allowed in five U.S. states including California.
Natural organic reduction, more simply known as human composting, is a natural process that transforms the body into soil. It has become a recognized alternative to embalming, and a climate-friendly option compared to cremation. Correspondent Ben Tracy visits the Seattle funeral home Recompose, the....
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Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary and Mausoleum is wholly owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica - one of the few municipally-owned cemeteries in California and the only City owned mortuary in the U.S.
In 1897, Woodlawn Cemetery was deeded over to the City of Santa Monica by the founding families of Santa Monica for $10. The City purchased the Mausoleum in 1972. With its lush grounds and beautiful Mausoleum containing breathtaking stained glass windows, statues, murals, and Italian marble, Woodlawn offers a reflective and peaceful environment for you and your loved ones.
Woodlawn is one of only two Cemeteries in the Los Angeles area that offers green burial, the eco-friendly alternative to traditional burial. Green burial is a form of interment designed to have minimal environmental impact, especially when compared to traditional burial methods. With this process, burials are performed using biodegradable products such as a shroud made of organic fabric or a simple wooden casket with no metals. No cement vaults are used, and no embalming chemicals that contain hazardous products such as formaldehyde are used.
Each year, traditional burials place hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic embalming fluid and millions of pounds of metal and concrete into the earth for perpetuity. Instead of contributing more imperishable waste to the environment, green burial nurtures the natural cycles of growth and fosters a greater union with nature. It offers an eco-friendly process to return our bodies to the earth and a meaningful way to honor the life of a loved one.
Eternal Meadow, the section of Woodlawn Cemetery devoted exclusively to green burial, is a naturalistic wildflower meadow garden thoughtfully designed to emphasize the sanctity of life and harmony with nature. The space features diverse grasses and wildflowers native to California that also provide a habitat for native birds and pollinator insects, including the endangered Monarch butterfly, contributing to the cycle of growth.
Woodlawn Cemetery hosts four events annually to honor those who have passed. To receive up-to-date information, send an email to [email protected] and join us in celebrating and remembering Loved Ones at these programs:
Living History Tours: History comes alive at Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary as we present our Living History Tours. Join us as costumed guides portraying noted personalities interred at Woodlawn highlight tours of our facility and share their stories and contributions to history and society.
Memorial Day Observance: Woodlawn honors our nation’s brave men and women in uniform who have died in service to the country with a ceremony open to the public. Highlights typically include patriotic music provided by local groups, keynote speeches by prominent local officials, and an exciting fly-over of military aircraft. Music, a movie in the Mausoleum, and other activities follow the ceremony. Food trucks are on hand providing food for purchase.
Dia de Los Mu***os: This family-friendly event celebrates the cycle of life and the remembrance of ancestors as observed in Mexico and as the occasion has crossed into the United States. The event features altars, musicians, dancers, marigold offerings, a slide show honoring lost Loved ones, food trucks, a communal memory wall and more.
Tree of Life/Holiday Open House: During the winter holiday season, Woodlawn staff extends an invitation to the community to ring in the holiday season at our facility as well as honor departed loved ones. Decorate our Tree of Life, located in the Mausoleum lobby, with ornaments provided by the Cemetery that can be personalized in memory of loved ones and placed on the tree. This annual event also features live holiday music performances, photos with Santa, light refreshments, and more. It also kicks off our annual toy donation drive for the Toys for Tots Foundation.
Whether you are here to celebrate life through one of our special programs, are ready to plan for your future, or have lost a loved one and are in time of need, City of Santa Monica Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary is here for you.
![|[◘]|•|[◘]|--- Industry News & Trends ---|[◘]|•|[◘]|With the introduction of Eternal Meadow in 2017, Woodlawn Cemetery...](https://img3.govern1.com/889/476/9444801588894761.jpg)
