It also avoids the appearance of an architectural fragment, achieving an active interplay among the pedestal, inscription, and sculpture, between the broad, low basin of water in front and the ellipse of poplar trees that enframes the ensemble.
Sixteen months later, in October 1897, the monument was unveiled (Longstreth 1998: 233).
The most distinctive elements of this low, shingled structure with broad gabled roof are the large circular window on the west end and the porches on the north and south ends supported by unpeeled redwood logs (Gebhard Winter and Sandweiss 1985: 272).
It is a masterpiece of the bricklayers' and stonemasons' arts, with beautifully carved decorations and fine fixtures, such as the bronze lantern...
Architectural journals of the day said it had "all the quiet expression and endurance characteristic of a beautiful church, while at the same time it is a cheerful, well-lighted and appropriately decorated place.: The Columbarium's builders, The Order of Odd Fellows, wanted the rotunda to have the appearance of an ordinary Victorian living room.
In their journal The Odd Fellows wrote: "...a delicate and refined atmosphere prevails here, divesting the mind of the unpleasant feeling that so often goes hand-in-hand with anything associated with the burial of the dead." Today the Columbarium rotunda continues to reflect the builder's interest in a cheerful celebration of life.
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