Death Remains the Same

On a single site, the clash of twentieth-century architectural styles becomes evident. At the Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma, a Romanesque gateway gives way to a proposed Italianate addition, replete with a domed central mass that recalls both the centralized buildings of Early Christianity and later Italian Renaissance churches. William Merchant's other proposed addition attempts to design his way out of the dilemma of style by suppressing literal stylistic references in favor of abstractions.