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Riverside Memorial Chapel

The Riverside Memorial Chapel is an American Jewish funeral home chain with their main facility at 180 West 76th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City.[1] The company has been owned by Service Corporation International since 1971.

History

Riverside Memorial Chapel was founded as Meyers Livery Stable[2] in 1897 by Louis Meyers on Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In 1905, the business was relocated to 54 East 109th Street and the name was changed to Meyers Undertakers. In 1916, the business was relocated to 228 Lenox Avenue (at 122nd Street) in Harlem and the name changed to Meyers & Company. In 1926, they moved to 180 West 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side and built a large four story chapel. In 1933, they divided into two separate companies, Riverside Memorial Chapel and Parkwest Chapels. The funeral company was headed by Charles Rosenthal.[3][4] They expanded thereafter to Miami, Florida (1935); Brooklyn (1938); the Bronx (1940); and Westchester County, New York (1950).[1] The company, then owned by the founder's grandson, Edward Rosenthal, expanded via acquisitions acquiring the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel (1948), the Universal Funeral Chapel (1955); and the Walter B. Cooke Chapel (1957) to become the largest funeral company in the United States.[5] In 1958, Rosenthal retired and ceded control to his son-in-law Steve Ross.[6] In 1961, the company was merged with the Kinney Parking Company (then, renamed as Kinney Service Corporation) and taken public. In June 1971, Riverside Memorial Chapel was purchased by Service Corporation International.[1]

Notable funerals and memorial services

  • Alvin Achenbaum[7]
  • Joey Adams[8]
  • Bert Berns
  • J. Sidney Bernstein
  • Meyer Bloomfield
  • Grace Borgenicht Brandt[9]
  • Julie Braun-Vogelstein[10]
  • Paula Danziger
  • David Deutsch (ad executive)[11]
  • Simon Federbusch
  • Arnold Fine
  • Sidney Frank
  • Louis D. Gibbs
  • Madeline Lee Gilford
  • Gilbert Gottfried
  • Lazarus Joseph (1891–1966), NY State Senator and New York City Comptroller.
  • Al Kelly
  • Alan King[12]
  • Nat Lefkowitz[13]
  • Al Lewis[14]
  • Malvina Longfellow
  • Lewis Merenstein[15]
  • Vivian Nathan
  • Yehuda Nir
  • Marni Nixon
  • Maurice Paprin
  • Henry G. Plitt[16]
  • Leopold Prince
  • Joan Rivers
  • Richard C. Ross[17]
  • Eric Siday[18]
  • Eduard Steuermann
  • Morton Sweig
  • Jerome Toobin[19]
  • Sol Ullman
  • Abe Vigoda[20]
  • Morris D. Waldman
  • Hannah Weinstein
  • Dr. Ruth Westheimer[21]

References

  1. Riverside Memorial Chapel: "History" retrieved September 15, 2016^
  2. Sellers of Cotton at The Selma Times (January 1, 1897)^
  3. Charles Rosenthal, 89, Is Dead; Began Riverside Funeral Homes^
  4. 14 Feb 1971, 56 – The Miami Herald at Newspaper.com^
  5. New York Times: "Edward Rosenthal, 87, Executive at Warner From 1972 Until 1983" By Alfonzo Narvaez May 25, 1991^
  6. Connie Bruck. Master of the Game Simon & Schuster, 2013^
  7. Alvin Achenbaum Obituary The New York Times, January 28, 2016^
  8. Neil Graves. More Laughs Than Tears at His Funeral New York Daily News, December 7, 1999, retrieved January 25, 2020^
  9. Paid Notice: Deaths Brandt, Grace Borgenicht The New York Times, July 21, 2001, retrieved January 5, 2020^
  10. Dr. Julie Braun‐Vogelstein Dies; German Party Leader's Widow The New York Times, February 9, 1971^
  11. Noreen O'Leary. Agency Founder David Deutsch Dies at 84; After retirement, he became an artist Adweek, June 14, 2013, retrieved 2013-06-14^
  12. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-05-10/comedian-alan-king-dies-at-76-in-new-york/1972974^
  13. Nat Lefkowitz, a former co-chairman of the William Morris Agency, the theatrical talent agency with which he was associated for 56 years, died Sunday in New York University Medical Center, where he had undergone heart surgery. He was 78 years old. The New York Times, September 6, 1983, retrieved October 31, 2020^
  14. https://www.gpny.org/home_going_celebration_for_grandpa_al_lewis^
  15. Merenstein-Lewis. October 23, 1934 – September 6, 2016. American recording engineer, record producer, and independent record company executive The New York Times, September 25, 2016, retrieved August 28, 2020^
  16. Burt A. Folkart. Henry G. Plitt; Developed National Chain of Movie Theaters The Los Angeles Times, January 27, 1993, retrieved 2024-08-15^
  17. Richard Ross Obituary – Mount Vernon, NY | New York Times Legacy.com, retrieved 2019-06-29^
  18. Memorial Service Today For Eric Siday, Composer The New York Times, March 28, 1986^
  19. (23 January 1984) Jerome Toobin, 64, Channel13's Chief of News Programs, The New York Times, Retrieved November 16, 2010^
  20. https://kpel965.com/famed-character-actor-abe-vigodas-funeral-set-for-manhattan/^
  21. Dr. Ruth Westheimer obituary retrieved 2024-08-22^