Douglas Keister started out as a photographer, but it wasn’t until nearly a decade ago that he married his profession with two of his passions: writing and cemeteries. To Keister, who has documented both foreign and domestic resting places from Scotland and Italy to Oakland and Dixieland, cemeteries are “pure environments, [they’re] extremely evocative.”

This year, Keister published his latest deceased-themed work, Stories in Stone New York: A Field Guide to New York City Cemeteries and their Residents. We picked Keister’s brain to come up with his picks for the best burial grounds below 14th Street.

Keister’s Digs for the Departed

Trinity Church

Located in Lower Manhattan, this leafy plot dates back to the late 1600s and its famous residents, of course, are a collection of distinguished Caucasian men. The notables laid to rest here include Alexander Hamilton; though never a president, Hamilton served as aide to President George Washington, was the first U.S. secretary of the treasury and founded the Bank of New York. Among the other points of interest at this cemetery is the headstone of 5-year-old Robert Churcher (1676-1681), said to be the oldest in the churchyard.

St. Paul’s Chapel

The St. Paul’s Chapel crowd might be less illustrious than Trinity’s, but the space is no less green and meditative. Publisher John Holt (1721-1784) and actor George Frederick Cooke (1756-1812) found a final home here.

St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery

Despite a lack of headstones, this site is home to an underground burial vault that houses one of New York’s more famous founders: Petrus, or Peter, Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant served as the last director general of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, present-day New York. He converted the property into a family chapel in 1660. The crowd at the St. Mark’s crypt is a collection of political bigwigs, including Vice President Daniel Tompkins (1774-1825).

New York City Marble Cemetery

Not to be confused with the nearby New York Marble Cemetery (located at 41½ Second Ave.), this plot was started in 1831 and is comprised of a series of roughly 258 vaults. While the cemetery contains many impressive monuments to mark its crypts, the most famous person interred there was President James Monroe. Though his remains were eventually reburied in Virginia, a monument bearing his name still stands at the site.

Congregation Shearith Israel Cemeteries

While the location of the first Shearith Israel cemetery remains unknown, it is known that the congregation, mostly Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent, was given a small piece of land in New Amsterdam in the mid-1600s for their dead. Their second burial site, used from 1805 to 1829, is still standing in Greenwich Village, though significantly smaller than its original acreage. Though the residents aren’t notable per se, the uniqueness of this plot makes it a destination.

The Trinity Churchyard in Lower Manhattan boasts one of Downtown’s more famous departed residents, Alexander Hamilton.
PHOTO BY DOUGLAS KEISTER

Inspired by similar architectural tours in his hometown, Londoner Scott Lauer started openhousenewyork (OHNY) in 2002 with roughly 80 sites sprinkled throughout the city. The weekend-long event, this year taking place Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16, has exploded to include almost 200 spaces in all five boroughs, 150 additional programs and almost 200,000 visitors.

“People now ask, ‘When is OHNY happening?’ rather than, ‘What is OHNY?’” reported board president Margaret Sullivan. Some of her Downtown favorites include the Eldridge Street Synagogue and 123 Baxter, which includes an automated garage—an elevator for your vehicle.

While almost all of the events and tours are free, a point in which the organization takes great pride, sites and programs that require a reservation will now charge a $5 fee. If you are unable to attend this weekend’s festivities, check the recently launched OHNY website for their year-round events, happening monthly.

Of the ninth annual open house weekend, Sullivan said, “Enjoy, have fun and discover the hidden gems in the city that you may walk past every day. You appreciate your city the more you know it.” Top picks for the weekend are listed below.

Lower East Side
Henry Street Settlement (ca. 1832)

265 Henry St., Saturday, Oct. 15, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Three federal row houses have been occupied by the Henry Street Settlement organization since it was founded in 1893. The buildings feature a restored dining room, the site of one of New York City’s first playgrounds and rooms where the first visiting nurses in the area lived.

Eldridge Street Synagogue (ca. 1887)

12 Eldridge St., Sunday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Founded by Eastern European immigrants, this National Historic Landmark has been restored to its original grandeur. The building is an exuberant combination of Moorish, Gothic and Romanesque styles, featuring hand-painted decorations and Victorian-era lighting. Stunning stained glass includes a new window by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans.

Nolita
Nolitan Hotel (ca. 2011)

30 Kenmare St., Sat., Oct. 15 & Sun., Oct. 16, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

A 55-room boutique hotel features a ground-floor glass lobby. Guest rooms have either private balconies or floor-to-ceiling windows with unobstructed views of the skyline.

East Village
New York Marble Cemetery

4 ½ 2nd Ave., Sat., Oct 15 & Sun., Oct. 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Not to be confused with the nearby New York City Marble Cemetery, this resting place is hidden down a private alley in the interior of the block and is one of the city’s oldest nonsectarian burial grounds. The half-acre garden contains 156 family-owned underground vaults. There are no markers on the grass, only plaques on the walls indicating the family name and vault location.

NYC DOT Bike Tour

Astor Place near The Cube, Sun., Oct. 16, 9:30 a.m. RSVP required.

Join Department of Transportation Urban Art Program staff for a bike ride to various public art sites around the city. The ride will begin in Manhattan and end in Brooklyn. Bring a bike and a helmet.

Financial District
99 John Deco Lofts (ca. 1933)

99 John St., Sat., Oct 15 & Sun., Oct. 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

This Depression-era building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the architects behind the Empire State Building. The resemblance is clear, from the classic limestone and granite façade to the tiered setbacks on higher floors. Today, John Deco Lofts is home to 442 condos.

For a full list of the apartments, buildings and programs featured during the OHNY weekend or to make a reservation on a particular tour, visit ohny.com.

The Nolitan is a 55-room newly opened hotel in Nolita — on Kenmare Street to be exact — that includes floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop garden. Photo courtesy of OHNY