Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (New York) - Timeline of Repairs, Updates and Current Condition

Timeline of Repairs, Updates and Current Condition

By 1907, there were already reports by Mayor McClellan that the Monument was in need of repair. At that time there were marble slabs in danger of falling from their place noting that three had already fallen. The building badly leaked, cement was constantly falling from the walls and ceiling, and stone was chipped in many places. He requested $20,000 for the repair of the monument.

A large adjustment to the monument took place in the 1930's, when the plaza's yellow brick, which nicely contrasted with the white marble trim, was replaced with the orange-colored stone common to Parks Department projects of the period. However, these have since chipped and are splitting. The memorial was also given a complete coating of protective paraffin, used at that time to preserve the memorial. In 1962, the City spent over $1 million in extensive repairs to the monument, including a new roof, which had deteriorated, and portions of the monument were replaced with more durable granite.

The Parks Department had proposed a $1.2 million restoration in 2002. The effort was to restore the monument's steps and sidewalks. It does not appear this was ever completed as the effort failed when a private donor pulled out. On July 10, 2005, the New York Times reported "up close the dilapidation is clearly visible. Pave-stones, many damaged by skateboarding and soccer playing, need replacing. The paint covering the many splotches of graffiti is tacky. And the tomblike interior, which is leaking, has long been closed to the public. Major work last took place in 1962."

In 2007, Gale Brewer a Council member of the City Council committed $650,000 in city money to a redesign of the potholed asphalt plaza south of the monument, with its three Civil War-era cannons. However, that effort appears to be bogged down in disagreement on the exact nature of the designs and was never completed. A fence was put up to keep people off the entry stairs because they were in very poor condition in 2008.

Currently, the monument has many coatings of anti-graffiti paint. The, ornamental bronze doorway has been damaged by vandals. At some point the richly sculptured bronze flagpole base, which featured ship forms, wreaths and other elements, was removed.