NEW YORK — Nestled next to the late Lewins, Blums and Levys in an old cemetery in New York City lies the final resting place of America’s most legendary magician: Houdini.
It is an impressive tribute to the man who grew up as Ehrich Weiss and died at age 52 on Halloween of 1926 of complications from appendicitis. Over the years, the site has been venerated, vandalized, thieved and forsaken. But a group of magicians wants to end the mystery of who will care for the grave.
“Houdini was a visionary. He was an inventor, an escape artist, and he gave back to society in so many ways,” said Dorothy Dietrich, a magician who runs a Houdini museum in Scranton, Pa. “It’s the least we can do to give back in some small way for all he’s given to us.”
Dietrich serves on a national Society of American Magicians committee to raise money to restore Houdini’s gravesite and allow for its permanent care at Machpelah Cemetery in Queens. It will cost about $1,200 annually to maintain the grounds, plus thousands of dollars more for restoration.
Houdini, son of a rabbi, was at the height of his fame when he purchased 24 plots at the 6-acre graveyard in a swath of open space crowded with cemeteries. His parents and siblings are buried there, and his grandmother was exhumed in Hungary and brought to New York. The only person not beside him is his wife, Bess; Machpelah is a Jewish cemetery, and she was buried at a Catholic graveyard in Westchester.
Cemetery managers say thanks to a steady stream of gawkers. The grave is usually stuffed with wands and other trinkets, plus refuse. Cemetery staff have done their part over the years to keep up the gravesite, but it’s their job to look out for all the dead, not just the famous dead.
Most of Houdini’s relatives have long since died, and those left don’t have extra money to fund the upkeep, Dietrich said. The plot has been cared for over the years by fans such as Dietrich, who has used her own money for upkeep.
David Bowers, head of the Houdini gravesite restoration committee, said the national magician society is working with Dietrich and the cemetery to pay for the upkeep. The group plans to clean and recaulk the granite, give the mosaic a face lift and fix the damaged markers. He doesn’t have a cost estimate yet but says repairs will take two years.
Anyone interested in donating can go to www.magicsam.com to learn more.
