The elegant, classical columns of the Al Jolson Memorial, designed by architect Paul R. Williams, are a signature of Hillside Memorial Park’s grace and beauty. The airy, white monument on the hillside above a long waterfall is a landmark to thousands of commuters on the San Diego Freeway.

The monument was constructed in 1951, when Al Jolson’s body was moved from Beth Olam in Hollywood to Hillside Memorial Park. The domed structure rises over Jolson’s sarcophagus and features a ceiling mosaic of Moses and the tablets.

About the Architect
Paul R. Williams

Paul Williams was the first African-American member and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a member of Los Angeles’s first Planning Commission. From the 1920s through the 1970s, he enjoyed worldwide success, designing more than 3,000 buildings – from private homes to public buildings.

In 1939 Williams won an AIA Award of Merit for his design of the elegant MCA building in Beverly Hills at the intersection of Burton Way and Crescent Drive. He also designed the interiors of the original Saks Fifth Avenue building in Beverly Hills. Among his clients were Frank Sinatra, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Julie London, Barbara Stanwyck and Anthony Quinn.

His works include the Second Baptist Church, the 28th Street YMCA, where Williams incorporated likenesses of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington in the façade; the Botany Building and Franz Hall at UCLA; and the flying saucer-shaped Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport.