Entry No. 26 — the San Francisco file — filed under: artist-built environment
Chapel of the Chimes
Julia Morgan's 1928 Spanish-Gothic-meets-Moorish maze of interlocking indoor gardens, courtyards with skylights, fountains, and mosaic-tiled rooms — later expanded over 24 years by architect Aaron Green — built as a working columbarium but wandering it feels like getting lost inside a surreal, plant-filled artwork rather than a mausoleum.
The story
It started in 1909 as the California Electric Crematory, but you wouldn't guess its industrial origins walking in today. In 1928, architect Julia Morgan stepped in and transformed the space into a Spanish-Gothic-meets-Moorish maze of indoor garden courtyards, mosaic-tiled chapels, and skylit arcades. Decades later, architect Aaron Green—a student of Frank Lloyd Wright—spent 24 years expanding her blueprint, weaving modern light wells and additional courtyard wings deeper into the site.
Because Chapel of the Chimes remains an active columbarium, thousands of brass urns—shaped like antique books—line the walls in endless gilded alcoves like a silent indoor sanctuary. But the design deliberately avoids mausoleum gloom. Natural sunlight pours through overhead glass onto lush ivy, ferns, and trickling stone fountains, making the interior feel like getting lost inside a surreal, living art environment.
On a typical afternoon, you can wander the winding multi-level passages in near solitude. If you time your visit for the summer solstice, however, the building hosts the long-running Garden of Memory event, where more than 40 electronic and ambient musicians perform simultaneously across its separate courtyard rooms, letting sound carry through the tiled corridors.
What it's like
You step off Piedmont Avenue into absolute quiet. The layout is intentionally disorienting—corridors loop into skylit garden rooms, narrow staircases drop down toward hidden fountains, and tiers of brass urn-books cover entire rooms. It's free to explore, but remember that it remains a working funeral home and final resting place, so keep your voice down and move quietly. Bring a book, take your time, and don't worry about getting lost; that's half the point.
The move: Walk the labyrinth of small garden rooms together and try to find your way back out — bring a book of poetry and read aloud in one of the fountain courtyards; on the summer solstice, the building hosts the long-running Garden of Memory electronic-music festival, over 40 musicians performing simultaneously in different rooms.
- 📍 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Ancient Ways — Follow up a wander through Julia Morgan's serene indoor urn sanctuary with a visit to Oakland's long-running metaphysical and occult shop just a mile away.
- Chabot Space & Science Center — Public Telescope Nights — Pair an afternoon spent in light-filled indoor courtyards with evening stargazing through historic refractors up in the Oakland Hills.
- Albany Bulb — Contrast the refined, manicured architecture of Morgan's stone-and-fern maze with the rogue rebar-and-concrete art installations along the East Bay waterfront.
Good to know
Is Chapel of the Chimes free to visit?
Yes, walking through the columbarium and garden courtyards is completely free and open to the public.
Who built and designed the complex?
It was originally established in 1909 as the California Electric Crematory. Julia Morgan designed the major Spanish-Gothic and Moorish expansion in 1928, and Aaron Green later spent 24 years extending the complex.
What is the Garden of Memory solstice event?
It's an annual music festival held on the summer solstice where over 40 musicians perform simultaneously in different rooms, chapels, and courtyards throughout the building.
Is this an active funeral home and cemetery?
Yes, it is a fully functioning columbarium and funeral service facility, so visitors are expected to be respectful of mourners and memorial services.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia
last checked: 2026-07-20