For a place devoted to death, Green-Wood Cemetery is one of the most vital landscapes in New York City. Established in 1838 on what was then the rural outskirts of Brooklyn, the cemetery spans 478 acres of rolling hills, ponds, and meandering paths, set among striking Gothic Revival architecture. Predating both Central Park and Prospect Park, Green-Wood was one of the most significant landscapes of the 19th century—and, for a time, the most popular tourist destination in the country—helping to shape the rise of public parks and green space in the United States.

Still an active cemetery, Green-Wood is the final resting place for more than 570,000 permanent residents, including figures such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, Boss Tweed, Leonard Bernstein, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. At the same time, it functions as a cultural institution and outdoor museum, reflecting the layered histories of Brooklyn, New York City, and the nation. In 2025, nearly half a million visitors walked its 21 miles of paths.

The Green-House at Green-Wood is a new visitor center that brings this history into focus and offers a contemporary point of entry into the cemetery and its cultural life. Located opposite the main entrance at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, the new building, designed by Architecture Research Office, surrounds the restored 1895 Weir Greenhouse and positions it as a symbol of the site’s verdant landscape. The center houses exhibitions, research and education facilities, and spaces for public and private events.

Pentagram developed a visual identity and signage system for Green-Wood that connects the site’s past with its present. The typography of the wordmark draws on historical typefaces and the engraved lettering found on Green-Wood’s headstones, memorials, and plaques. At its center is a distinctive ligature that interlocks the double “O,” inspired by wreath motifs found in the cemetery and suggesting continuity and infinity.

The identity balances gravity with openness, framing Green-Wood as both a place of remembrance and a welcoming cultural destination. Its lettering draws on the romantic qualities of memorial inscriptions while maintaining the dignity of an active cemetery. This approach extends across signage and other touchpoints, where a unified typeface family establishes a cohesive experience from the visitor center to the broader site.

Pentagram previously designed A Beautiful Way to Go, an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York that commemorated Green-Wood’s 175th anniversary.