Mausoleum of George Tiefel Architectural Drafting

George Tiefel (1832–1907)

Tiefel was born in Germany. According to the Veterans Schedule of 1890, a census of Civil War veterans, Tiefel enlisted as a private in 1861 for three years. At the time of that census, he was living at 25 Mount Morris Avenue in Manhattan. He served in Company G of the 1st New York Cavalry.

According to the 1870 census, Tiefel was a native of Bavaria living in NYC with his wife Catherine (who is interred with him), as well as a female servant and a “butcher’s boy”, and he was working as a retail butcher. That record also reports that he was a United States citizen (he appears to have been naturalized in 1860). In the 1900 census, he is listed as living in the Bronx with his wife “Kathrin” and two servants. He died from cancer.

The Tiefel Mausoleum designs were created by the architectural firm C.E. Tayntor & Co., of 239 Broadway, New York City. The specific designer or draftsman is marked as Hallowell. The mausoleum was designed in 1903, and intended for construction on the set of private lots numbered 20237 and 20238. The structure in the designs exhibits compressed proportions, unusually shallow and tall in some sections, with a gently sloped roof and five courses of massive masonry making up the main section of the mausoleum. The drawings are blueprint reproductions on paper, and title blocks on many of the copies are illegible. All drawings in the series are embrittled, many exhibiting tears and staining. Further notes on the condition, design features, marginal notes, and other characteristics of individual drawings may be found at the item level listings.

Perspective Drawing:

Front Elevation and Plan: