Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch

For New York's 1892 Washington Arch and the Civil War triumphal arches in Philadelphia (1876), Connecticut (1886), & the Gettysburg Battlefield (1910), see Washington Square Park, Smith Memorial Arch, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, and Pennsylvania Monument.

Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
The triumphal arch at the south end of the traffic oval (foreground). To the left and right of the memorial are additional streets (not shown).
Type	American Civil War memorial
Location	Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Coordinates
Elevation	135 feet (41 m)
Height	80 feet (24 m)
Dedicated	October 21, 1892 (1892-10-21)
Built	1889 (1889)-1892 (1892)
Built for	"To the Defenders of the Union, 1861-1865"
Rebuilt	1898 (statues added)
Restored	1976
Architect	John H. Duncan
Sculptor	Frederick Law Olmsted Calvert Vaux
Owner	City of New York
Website	www.nycgovparks.org/parks/grand-army-plaza/monuments/1463
New York City Landmark
Designated	October 16, 1973 (1973-10-16)
Reference no.	LP-0821
Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch location in Brooklyn

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch (1889–92) in Brooklyn, New York City, is a triumphal arch dedicated "To the Defenders of the Union, 1861-1865". The eastern end with a stairway to the observation deck and crowning sculpture is open to the public, while the remainder of the interior is sometimes opened for art shows and performances.

History

Arch in 1894 without sculptures.

File:'Lincoln and Grant', bronze sculptures by William Rudolf O'Donovan (men) & Thomas Eakins (horses), 1893-1894, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, New York City.JPG

Lincoln and Grant

File:The Brooklyn Quadriga.jpg

Crowning sculpture

On August 6, 1889, William R. Ware and Charles B. Atwood, who had been appointed by the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Commission, selected John H. Duncan's design for the arch from 36 designs submitted the previous year.

In collaboration with architect Stanford White, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux produced the arch beginning with two and a half months of site preparation; then William Tecumseh Sherman was the speaker at the 1889 cornerstone, and President Grover Cleveland lead the 1892 unveiling.

The McKim, Mead and White firm recommended the bronze statues for the City Beautiful movement, and park Commissioner Frank Squire engaged Frederick MacMonnies 1894 to design the three bronze sculptural groupings. The interior arch faces have equestrian bas-reliefs of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant sculpted by William Rudolf O'Donovan (men) and Thomas Eakins (horses), that were added in 1895. Also added in 1895 by sculptor Frederick MacMonnies are the Army and Navy sculptures and the allegorical crowning sculpture. This sculpture depicts the winged goddess of victory, following victorious combat (the Civil War) with instruments of war: sword, colors, flagstaff, and quadriga (the Union Army). Winged attendants are seen removing 2 of the 4 quadriga horses for peacetime use (postbellum recovery) while trumpeting the victory and freedom (Emancipation).

The arch was designated a landmark in 1973, and the crowning sculpture was restored after the chariot's figure fell out in 1976.

See also

• List of post-Roman triumphal arches