Chapel of the Chimes Oakland

Chapel of the Chimes was designed by famous architect Julia Morgan, who also designed William Randolph Hearst's retreat in San Simeon, California (commonly known as Hearst Castle)—founded in 1909 as a crematory and columbarium. The gothic building maintains its original functions and serves as the venue for annual music festivals on the winter and summer solstices. It is a restful and extraordinary structure. The chapel's owners operate funeral homes and cemeteries not designed by Morgan, also under the name Chapel of the Chimes and Sunsetlawn Chapel of the Chimes in Sacramento. Chapel of the Chimes holds the records of the Chapel of Memories on Pleasant Valley Avenue. Garden of Memory has been held since 1996; this is a columbarium walk-through event every year on the evening of the Summer Solstice. It features over 40 musicians performing on unique instruments or compositions designed for the event. The sound is often electronic or electro-acoustic in source and then electronically processed. Note: When fulfilling requests, it is helpful to have a note from the family of the requestor as the staff does not provide locations of niches casually.