Edit: A few more additional pictures on page 2.....

I was fortunate enough to live in Santa Barbara, just a short drive (about 60 miles) from Karen's final & current resting place in Westlake Village, CA. Last week over the Thanksgiving break, on my way down to Los Angeles, I decided to stop by Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks cemetery to pay homage to the most beautiful angel there's ever been.

As it was my first time there, it was quite a somber yet surreal moment, really. There she was, Karen resting in peace, in front of me. Well, not literally, but you all know what I mean. For a while, I couldn't believe that she was indeed resting inside the mausoleum, right in front of me . As I sat down on the small bench in front of the mausoleum gathering my thoughts, images of Karen just flashed before my eyes. I ended my visit by saying a little prayer and good bye to Karen, as well as mom & dad Carpenters who were also resting inside the same mausoleum .

The all-granite mausoleum is quite nice actually. But for some reason I find that it is actually smaller in person than I thought it would be when I first saw the pictures of it on the internet. I also heard that some people preferred the original resting place in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress (near Downey) to this one as the former was, according to them, more homey and not out in the open like the latter. Can't really comment on this as I've never been to the one in Cypress.

Anyway, just thought I'd share the pictures from my visit. I managed to take only a few and some of them are kinda blurry as my stupid camera began running out of battery just as I was about to start. So, I had to snap the pics really quickly.

Cheers!!

Thanks for the nice pictures. Its almost like having a visit myself. I find it interesting that Karen is on the top, Harold is in the middle and Agnes on the bottom. I wonder who the other 3 people will be on what is presumed to be the other side of the mausoleum. Its a really nice memorial site. I wish I could give respects to Karen in person too.

(Weird, Agnes passed away on my cat's 3rd birthday. and Karen died the day before my own Grandpa did.)

Glad you like the pictures . I was actually thinking about the same thing too regarding Karen's parents being underneath her. You're also correct about the 3 empty spaces on the other other side; they are on the left side (if seen facing the front of the mausoleum). I didn't manage to take pictures of those 3 empty ones, but they have no names (obviously) on them. Maybe Richard is just preparing for the future.

I heard from my Asian friends that in Chinese culture, it is believed that if a burial space/plot/etc. is provided in advance for someone who is still alive well and healthy, it can make that person live longer. Not sure if it's true or not, but you know how different cultures have their own believes and all.

My next mission will be to visit the various Carpenters' locations in Downey, hopefully soon, before the Newville house is gone forever.

PS: Karen's B-day is the same as my ex-girlfriend's , but she doesn't really like Carpenters. Also, Karen's B-day is just 3 days before her mom's. What a coincidence.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and the experience. I was in the LA area last year and was trying to decide whether to visit the crypt or the Newville house. I chose the house, and lucky for me because the house is no longer intact.

The pictures are appreciated!

Thanks for sharing the pictures and the experience, i just got chills seeing the mausoleum and just remembering Karen, thank you !!

Thanks to admin for moving my post to the correct forum. I thought Karen Carpenter's was the right one, as opposed to General Chat forum. I apologize for the inconvenience .

Cheers!

Thanks so much for the pictures and sharing the experience. It always looks so peaceful there. Blue skies, I can imagine birds singing and it just being so calm and beautiful!! One day I will experience it for myself!! RIP Miss Carpenter

You've taken some beautiful pictures. I've never seen the writing on the crypts so well.
Thank you for sharing.

I must say that I've always wondered what Richard must think of people taking pictures of his family's mausoleum. On one hand, yes, perhaps he understands that it's his and his sister's fans who are doing this, but on the other hand, isn't it a little intrusive?

Just my opinion.

I never thought taking pictures of gravestones, etc, or graveyards is intrusive. Graveyards are places where anyone can visit the dead and taking pictures is rather common since its a public property.

I agree, Leanne. I even have pictures of both my grandparents' funerals, including the wake. I guess everyone has different ideas about what is appropriate.

I'm just glad I have these kinds of pictures at hand, it brings me right there.

I wish I had come to the world two days earlier...C'mon why did I have two wait two days more for coming to the world ....My best friend's mum birthday is the same day as Agnes' and she's one day before me. I believe things happen for some reason inb life, not everything has to be a coincidence.

I wonder If Bon Jovi likes the carps, his birthday's on Karen's too

Btw and before I forget it, nice caps It's easier for the ones who are not able to go there.....I just have to say ThankYou

I've also been there many times, in fact, I was the first C's fan to find the Mausoleum. Westlake Village is a heck of a long drive for me and it was satisfing to find it.

Karen's mausoleum in Westlake is nice, but nothing like the Forrest Lawn crypt in Cypress was. The Forrest Lawn crypt was very beautiful inside and protected from the weather. The first time I visited in July 1999, it was quite an experience. This is going to sound weird, but everytime I visited Karen at Forrest Lawn, I got goosebumps and I could actually feel her presence. I don't get that feeling at the Westlake location. The new mausoleum seems isolated and cold compared to warmth of the Forrest Lawn crypt... just my opinion.

Almost forgot... very nice pictures Pinin. I have pics of the inside as well, but that was before the signatures were added.

Whoserman, I know what you meant. I also thought the same while I was taking those pictures above. Some, maybe even Richard himself for that matter, might consider those strangers taking pictures of his beloved family members' mausoleum as intrusive. At first, I wasn't even planning to post them online. Just wanted to keep them for my personal collection. Had the mausoleum been off-limit to public or in a private property, I would never be that close to it, let alone taking such pictures.

But then I realized that I was one of the more fortunate ones who happen to live not too far from Karen's final resting place. And that enables me to pay my tribute and respect to her with relative ease whenever I wish. I also realized that many of Karen's fans throughout the world might never have a chance to do so. With that in mind, I then decided to share the pictures with fellow Carpenters fans here in the forum. No ill intentions at all trying to be intrusive to Richard nor even to make profits from the pics; just wanting and trying to share the moment with others who, for whatever reason, might never be able to visit Karen's mausoleum.

That being said, I'd like to say very much for all the nice comments! It's comforting to know that the pics can at least bring some of us ever closer to the Karen Carpenter who had left this world and all of us years ago.


Cheers and Happy Holidays!!

Oh, don't get me wrong. I wasn't trying to accuse you of any maltreatment. I don't believe for one second that you didn't have only the best intentions. I guess I'm just putting myself in Richard's shoes. If it was my sister in my family's mausoleum, would I want people I didn't know taking pictures? That's all.

No worries! I'm not getting you wrong at all.

I was just trying to clarify things myself, thinking that maybe, who knows, somebody out there thought I was trespassing or something being in such close proximity to the mausoleum.

Thanks!

I appreciate the different angle/viewpoint of the site. It looks less 'dry & dull' than other photos I've seen.
I think Karen, Agnes & Harold would appreciate some more landscaping -but, it looks like a nice resting place.
I see that the names are all in script (cursive).
Hmmm, I would like a lil' house mausoleum ($$$)

This is the original interment site @ Forest Lawn:

thanks for the pics... I like it but the first one was bigger... (i think...) BTW (Im back from my holidays... sorry its been that long )

Daniel

Sad pictures, but in some strange way they're nice to see as well

Thanks for the pictures of Karen's final resting place. It's comforting to see.

You're welcome, gang! Glad to be of a little help.

Cheers!!

Just a few more additional pics that I managed to salvage from my memory card...

Nice pictures!

It's interesting to note that the scripted signatures are actually their own real signatures, lifted from things they had signed in their lifetimes.

I haven't been to this burial site (yet!), but I did visit Forest Lawns twice, and it was really beautiful. Doesn't look quite the sam these days though...




Stephen

Ooo, thanks for posting a picture of the BACK of the Carpenters resting place. If I was really there I would have walked around the entire structure. Now, thanks to your pic we all have a more complete view.

You're welcome!

This from wikipedia:

'On December 11, 2003, at 12:30pm PST, Agnes, Karen, and Harold, who remained in their original caskets and occupied 3 out of the 6 spaces in the Carpenter Private Mausoleum, were exhumed from the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California and re-interred at the Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California. Their mausoleum is a 46,000-pound, Partenope-style structure and was constructed in Texas over seven months. It is polished sunset red, and features crystal patterns. It is located in the Tranquility Gardens section of the cemetery. Similar structures constructed at the time had a price range around $600,000.'

Thanks for sharing the pictures of a place many of us will never have the chance to visit. I don't think it's intrusive at all, Karen belongs to all of us who love her, whether we ever met her in person or not. Like many of us on this forum, I'm obsessed with Karen and she is a huge part of my life! I listen to her voice each and every day and I think she was the greatest female vocalist who ever lived. She is even more special to me because at the time of her death, I was 19 years old an in the throes of anorexia. Back then, just as it was for Karen, my family and friends had never heard of anorexia nervosa. But because of an article in People magazine about Karen's anorexia, it was brought to my attention, and I found help for my problem. I'm 43 now, and still kicking because of the awareness Karen's death brought to the public.

Glad that you managed to overcome your problem at the time. It's just too bad and very unfortunate that Karen had to be the first "guinea pig," so to speak, for what Anorexia could lead a person to in the worst situation .

When I'm in the area, I occasionally visit Cypress too... even though Karen is not there anymore. Believe it or not, KC Fans are still leaving flowers and cards (address to Karen) at the empty crypt.

I don't believe that Joe!

Perhaps they still believe Karen's spirit is there within that small space.

Why does she have to be in Heaven already?

That's where most of the Angels hang out!

Yeah, but I wish that she could've stayed here, until she was old enough to descend where other angels like her were.

It appears they are buried in death order.
In Forest Lawn it was the same way.

sad...she is far..but near..close to everybody....close to me..

this year i gonna visit her grave and gift for her a present threre.

thanks pininf4r1na for sharing.... These are real nice!

It's so peaceful, where her crypt is looks like Heaven lol, I hope that Karen can see what a beautiful place that Richard put her in, looks like a nice ( but sad ) place for sure

im so sad....!!!!!!!!

i cant writte so well..
sorry..

she is singing like a bird everymorning there..

maybe i dont must say that..but i love this place because have such beauty the landscape

It's a beautiful place...
Thankyou for sharing the photos. I just can't imagine what it would be like to be there.. emotional... I always wanted to visit her resting place someday.

Sara x

I miss her.

oh my God...