Visit the Rae Room in Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Mausoleum

Once a year, on Memorial Day, the century-old tomb opens to the public showcasing where some VIPs, RIP

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The exclusive Rae Room at Wilhelm’s Portland Memorial Mausoleum only opens to the public one day a year: Memorial Day.

Inside the silent vault is a pair of matching marble sarcophagi. They hold the remains of lumber baron George Rae and his housemaid-turned-second-wife, Elizabeth, who died in 1918 and 1942, respectively.

The eight-story, century-old mausoleum complex in the Sellwood neighborhood is the final resting place of approx. 97,000 people and features three multi-floor fountains, seven miles of corridors, stained glass windows, and a replica marble statue of Michelangelo’s “La Pieta.”

Guided tours are held each month; if you want to stay permanently, there are rare urn vacancies in the main chapel for $25,000.

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Cambrie is a born-and-raised Oregonian who worked at a Portland TV news station before helping launch PDXtoday in December 2021. She loves horseback riding, burying her nose in a fantasy book, traveling near and far + finding a good chai tea latte.
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