NEW YORK — A group of magicians is working to raise money to restore Harry Houdini’s gravesite and permanently care for the monument at a New York City cemetery.
Officials say it will cost about $1,200 annually to maintain the grounds, plus thousands more in masonry fees to restore the granite and a glass-mosaic emblem of the Society of American Magicians. Houdini was its 11th president.
Markers were also damaged by vandals who have hit the Machpelah Cemetery.
Houdini purchased 24 plots at the 6-acre (2.5-hectare) cemetery at the height of his fame. Both his parents and other relatives are buried there.
The monument is an undulating bench with a life-size mourner, plus a bust, a vase, benches and markers for each person buried.
