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A late 1950s/early 1960s original architectural presentation painting (or \"maquette\") for a stained glass window at the Queen of Angel\'s Mausoleum in Hillside, IL measuring approximately 10 3/8 x 4 1/4 inches in its original backing measuring approximately 21 3/4 x 12 1/4 inches. The Queen of Heaven Cemetery burials include many notable monsters including Sam \"Teets\" Battaglia (1908–1973): A high-ranking capo and brief front-boss for the Outfit who originally began his criminal career as a member of Al Capone\'s gang during Prohibition. See details below. As you drive down Roosevelt road heading west, you can see the beautiful Mausoleum and just briefly after you will see Capone\'s headstone easily. Thanks for looking.
The text specifies the Queen of Angels Mausoleum, which was built around 1960–1961 as the second major phase and expansion wing of the massive Queen of Heaven Cemetery complex in Hillside, Illinois.
The Design Firm: The drawing bears the official stamp of Daprato Studios (noting their primary offices in Chicago and New York). Daprato Studios (later Daprato Rigali Studios) was one of the most prominent ecclesiastical art and design firms in United States history, famous for outfitting grand American Catholic cathedrals and mausoleums.
Production Identifiers: This specific proposal piece is categorized under Job No. 9438, Sheet No. 88. It is scaled mathematically at 1 ½\" = 1\'-0\", meaning every inch and a half on this paper translates directly to one linear foot of the final glass window installation.The Subject Matter: The artwork depicts a highly stylized, abstract mid-century Crucifixion scene, topped by the traditional Latin acronym INRI (Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum / Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews).
Yes, Queen of Heaven Cemetery is the final resting place for several of the most powerful and notorious bosses in the history of the Chicago Outfit.
While it holds many top-tier gangsters, it is also highly famous because it sits directly across the street from Mount Carmel Cemetery, creating a square mile of land in Hillside that acts as the absolute epicenter of American Mafia burial sites.
Prominent Mobsters Buried at Queen of Heaven
- Tony \"Big Tuna\" Accardo (1906–1992): One of the most powerful American mob bosses of all time. He started as an Al Capone bodyguard (allegedly helping orchestrate the St. Valentine\'s Day Massacre) and ruled or influenced the Chicago Outfit for over four decades. Remarkably, he never spent a single night in a jail cell.
- Paul \"The Waiter\" Ricca (1897–1972): The brilliant de facto boss of the Outfit for decades following Frank Nitti\'s death. He was the mastermind who preferred operating quietly from the shadows, letting more boisterous figures take the public spotlight.
- Anthony \"The Ant\" Spilotro (1938–1986): The Outfit\'s notoriously brutal enforcer sent to oversee their casino skimming operations in Las Vegas. His chaotic life and violent murder alongside his brother Michael inspired Joe Pesci’s character, Nicky Santoro, in Martin Scorsese\'s film Casino.
- Michael Spilotro (1944–1986): Anthony\'s brother and a mob associate who was lured into a basement with Anthony and beaten to death by Outfit hitmen. The brothers are buried side-by-side.
- Sam \"Teets\" Battaglia (1908–1973): A high-ranking capo and brief front-boss for the Outfit who originally began his criminal career as a member of Al Capone\'s gang during Prohibition.
- Sam DeStefano (1909–1973): One of the most sadistic loan sharks and hitmen in mafia history, known for his extreme unpredictability and psychopathy before he was assassinated to prevent him from testifying.
Across the Street: Mount Carmel Cemetery
If you visit Queen of Heaven, most true-crime historians walk directly across the street to Mount Carmel to see the rest of the empire. Mount Carmel houses:
- Al Capone: The most iconic gangster in world history, buried under a simple family headstone.
- Sam Giancana: The glamorous, chaotic 1950s/60s Outfit boss who was close friends with Frank Sinatra and allegedly linked to JFK.
- Frank \"The Enforcer\" Nitti: Capone\'s immediate successor who ran the day-to-day operations of the Outfit.
- Dean O\'Banion & Hymie Weiss: Leaders of the rival North Side Gang who waged a bloody bootlegging war against Capone\'s faction.
