Getty chose Louis Henri Sullivan to create his wife's tomb, admiring the work Sullivan had recently done for Getty's partner, Martin Ryerson. The Getty tomb is in the shape of a cube, with the roof overhanging the walls slightly. Sullivan's trademark arches are above the doors and windows, concentric arches with radial spokes.
Octagons fill the space around the arches on the upper half of the walls.
An intricate bronze gate with floral and geometric patterns, another Sullivan trademark, stands in front of the equally ornate door. A plaster cast of this doorway won Sullivan an award at the Paris Exposition of 1900.