Since 1983, the Eickhof family has been designing, manufacturing, and installing America’s finest columbaria from Crookston, Minnesota.
In the mid-1980s, Paul Eickhof’s parents attended an adult Sunday school series at their Presbyterian church in Crookston, Minnesota. The subject was death — how to plan for it, how to talk about it, how to prepare. A woman raised her hand during one session and said she had her husband cremated. That moment changed the trajectory of a family.
But when tragedy struck the family a few years later — the loss of a daughter in an airplane crash – the question became urgent: where do you place the urn?
It was functional, but it was also cold — exposed hardware, rattling fronts, industrial materials. He knew it could be better. With a background in engineering and construction, he designed a concealed-hardware niche system for his own church. That first unit — a 72-niche wall in the Crookston Presbyterian Church — became the foundation of a company.
Paul took a photograph of that first columbarium to a national cemetery industry convention in Nashville. He met architects, contractors, and operators from across the country — and discovered a massive industry that had barely begun to consider the rise of cremation.
A chance meeting with David Hunt, the head of construction for Service Corporation International, led to Eickhof’s first major innovation: a lightweight, flexible niche built from cement fiber board instead of precast concrete. That breakthrough changed everything. Suddenly, curved walls were possible.
Walk into the Eickhof fabrication facility in Crookston and you’ll meet the people who build your columbarium. Many of them have been with the company for years — some for decades. They know the product, they know the process, and they take pride in their work.
When it arrives at your site, those same people — or their closest colleagues — are the ones who install it. There are no subcontractors. No anonymous factory floors. Just a team of skilled craftspeople who have built their careers around making something that matters.
Our columbaria are designed and constructed by our expert team. Each step, from parts fabrication to stone setting, is completed in-house using thoughtfully sourced materials.
President & CEO
40+ Years of Service
Chief Operating Officer
11+ Years of Service
Senior Project Coordinator
27+ Years of Service
Client Guide
2+ Years of Service | B.A. Landscape Architecture
Outreach Specialist & Client Guide
1+ Years of Service
Inscription Service Lead
10+ Years of Service
We welcome visitors to our fabrication facility. If you’re considering an Eickhof columbarium and want to see how they’re made, meet the team, and walk through the process firsthand, we’d love to show you around. Tours can be arranged by appointment.
For over four decades, we’ve helped cemeteries, churches, and institutions across America create memorials their communities are proud of. We’d be honored to do the same for yours.
