Art nouveau stained-glass windows and a dome skylight illuminate more than 8000 niches honoring dearly departed San Franciscans and their beloved pets. San Francisco's Columbarium revived the ancient Roman custom of sheltering cremated remains in 1898, when burial grounds crowded the Richmond district. The Columbarium was neglected from 1934 until its 1979 restoration by the Neptune Society, a cremation advocacy group. Today visitors admire the neoclassical architecture, and pay respects to the niche of pioneering gay city supervisor Harvey Milk.
