Grant's Tomb

General Grant National Memorial
New York City Landmark No. 0900, 0901
Grant's Tomb at dusk
Map
Location of Grant's Tomb in New York City
LocationRiverside Drive and West 122nd Street
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°48′48″N 73°57′47″W / 40.81333°N 73.96306°W / 40.81333; -73.96306
Area0.76 acres (0.31 ha)
BuiltApril 27, 1897
ArchitectJohn H. Duncan
Architectural styleNeoclassical
Visitation80,046 (2005)
WebsiteGeneral Grant National Memorial
NRHP reference No.66000055[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.001260
NYCL No.0900, 0901
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NMEMAugust 14, 1958
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980
Designated NYCLNovember 25, 1975[2]

Grant's Tomb, officially the General Grant National Memorial, is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, and of his wife Julia. It is a classical domed mausoleum in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The structure is in the middle of Riverside Drive at 122nd Street, adjacent to Riverside Park. In addition to being a national memorial since 1958, Grant's Tomb is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks.

Upon Grant's death in July 1885, his widow indicated his wish to be interred in New York. Within days, a site in Riverside Park was selected, and the Grant Monument Association (GMA) was established to appeal for funds. Although the GMA raised $100,000 in its first three months, the group only raised an additional $55,000 in the next five years. After two architectural competitions in 1889 and 1890, the GMA selected a proposal by John Hemenway Duncan for a tomb modeled after the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Following a renewed fundraising campaign, the cornerstone was laid in 1892, and the tomb was completed on April 27, 1897, Grant's 75th birthday.

Initially, the GMA managed the tomb with a $7,000 annual appropriation from the city. The tomb was extensively renovated in the late 1930s with help from Works Progress Administration workers, who added murals and restored the interior. The National Park Service took over the operation of Grant's Tomb in 1959. After a period of neglect and vandalism, the tomb was restored in the 1990s following a campaign led by college student Frank Scaturro. Despite various modifications over the years, some portions of the monument were never completed, including a planned equestrian statue outside the tomb.

The mausoleum's base is shaped like a rectangle with colonnades on three sides and a portico in front, on the south side. The upper section consists of a cylindrical shaft with a colonnade, as well as a stepped dome. Inside, the main level of the memorial is shaped like a Greek cross, with four barrel-vaulted exhibition spaces extending off a domed central area. The Grants' bodies are placed in red-granite sarcophagi above ground in a lower-level crypt. Over the years, the design of Grant's Tomb has received mixed commentary, and the tomb has been depicted in several films.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nycland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).