PORTLAND, Ore. — A woman with several family members entombed at a Portland mausoleum says the facility is in bad shape, and it's disrespectful to both the living and the dead.
It is a place with a lot of history: Wilhelm's Portland Memorial is a funeral home, crematory and mausoleum that dates back to the early 1900s. Adrienne, who did not want to be fully identified, has been coming the mausoleum her whole life to visit three generations of grandparents, now all laying in rest inside.
But now, she can't stand the many cobwebs under pews and along the mausoleum hallways, active with spiders and spider eggs. There are also broken windows where birds can enter, their droppings left on the marble.
Adrienne says a Florida-based company that now owns the facility should be held accountable, but so far have not addressed her concerns.
“It's extremely upsetting that the legacy of my family feels like it's just been swept under the rug. It's really hard to see it in such disrepair because I don't want that for my family,” Adrienne said. “The lack of respect and the lack of legacy that they are keeping is pathetic and what is so disturbing.”
Disturbing, too, are the missing letters, fallen off of tombs on every floor, including where Adrienne's grandfather was laid to rest in last May. She says it took months to get his name put on his tomb wall. It is now attached with what appears to be with hot glue, and so far, remains in place.
PHOTOS: Wilhelm's Portland Memorial facility needs better upkeep, woman says
KGW reached out to Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial for a response but so far has not heard back. KGW is also awaiting a response from the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board.
On its website, Wilhelm’s says its mausoleum spans 2-and-a-half city blocks and is the largest on the West Coast, with the entire facility being eight stories and roughly seven miles of corridors.
Adrienne acknowledges the mausoleum is a lot to keep up, but says the company needs to do better. In the meantime, she wants others who have loved ones here to know about the problems.
“Whether they live here or not, they need to know that their families are being disrespected and dishonored by not having a place that is kept clean and kept up and maintained,” she said.