The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch is a triumphal arch at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Designed by John Hemenway Duncan and built from 1889 to 1892, the arch commemorates American Civil War Union veterans. The monument is made of granite and measures tall, with an archway opening measuring tall and wide. The arch also includes spandrels by Philip Martiny, equestrian bas-reliefs by Thomas Eakins and William Rudolf O'Donovan, and three sculptural groups by Frederick MacMonnies. It is one of New York City's three major triumphal arches.
The lowest portion of the arch is made of darker granite from Quincy, Massachusetts, above which is lighter-colored granite. There are four pedestals, two each facing north and south; the northern pedestals are empty, while the southern pedestals contain sculptural groups by MacMonnies, depicting the United States Army and United States Navy. The bas-reliefs within the archway opening depict Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant on horseback, and the archway opening has a coffered ceiling. The spandrels above the arch contain representations of victory, as well as the seals of New York state and Brooklyn. On the roof is an observation deck and a quadriga, also designed by MacMonnies. Inside are stairways to the observation deck, as well as a room just beneath the roof.
After the Civil War, the then-independent city of Brooklyn planned a grand memorial to Union Army soldiers, though no major monument was built for two decades. The arch was proposed in 1888, and Duncan was selected as the arch's designer following an architectural design competition. The cornerstone of the arch was laid on October 30, 1889, and the arch was dedicated on October 21, 1892. Additional art was installed over the following decade. The arch was used for various events during the 20th century and was designated as a New York City landmark in 1973. The arch and its sculptures have been renovated several times over the years, including in 1980 and 2023–2025.
Description The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch is at the southern end of Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S., just north of the entrance to Prospect Park. Designed by John H. Duncan and completed in 1892, the arch was built as an American Civil War memorial. It is one of New York City's three major triumphal arches, along with the Washington Square Arch and the Manhattan Bridge Arch and Colonnade. As built, the arch was surrounded by granite posts connected by a bronze chain.
Including abutments on either side of the archway opening, the arch measures tall, with a footprint of . The interior of the arched opening is 50 feet tall and wide. At the top of the arch, the abutments narrow in thickness from 50 feet to . When the arch was completed, the top of the arch was around above sea level. Visitors originally could see as far as Long Island to the east, the Palisades to the north, the Atlantic Ocean and Atlantic Highlands to the south, and the Orange Mountains to the west.
Design Exterior At the base of either of the arch's abutments is a course of darker granite from Quincy, Massachusetts, above which is lighter-colored granite. There are four pedestals, two each facing north and south; these were intended to support groups of statues, although only the southern pedestals have statuary. Each pedestal has engaged columns, topped by capitals in the Composite order. The capitals contain motifs such as ships' bows, eagles, and the fruits of the land and sea. Between each set of columns, there are medallions depicting the insignia of various Army and Navy corps. The exteriors of the arch's base contain the seals of various military companies and regiments based in Brooklyn. The archway opening's keystones reportedly weigh and depict the Great Seal of the United States.
The underside of the arched opening has a coffered ceiling, and there are rosettes at the center of each coffer. The interior walls of the archway opening have equestrian bas-reliefs of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. The reliefs bear the dates 1893–1894, even though they were installed in 1895. Thomas Eakins designed the horses for each relief, and William Rudolf O'Donovan designed the riders. The Lincoln relief is the only artwork in a New York City park where Lincoln is depicted on horseback, as well as one of two artworks of Lincoln on horseback that are known to exist. Beneath each equestrian relief, there are doorways in the abutments, which lead to the staircases.
Philip Martiny designed the spandrels on the structure's north and south facades, at the upper corners of the archway opening. Each spandrel reportedly weighs . The spandrels on the structure's north facade contain the seals of the state of New York and the then-independent city of Brooklyn, while the spandrels to the south depict female representations of victory. On the attic, along the arch's southern facade, is an inscription reading, "To the Defenders of the Union, 1861–1865"; this is the only inscription on the monument. The monument's attic includes panels with disks surrounded by wreaths. The names of battles were supposed to have been inscribed into the panels. The structure's parapet was to have globes with eagles resting above them, but the arch was instead built with a plain parapet.
Interior The arch has two spiral stairways, one inside each abutment. One staircase was originally used by visitors traveling to the roof, while the other was used by visitors descending to ground level. The stairs have been variously cited as containing 103, 107, 108, or 116 steps. Each of the stairs is made of iron and is illuminated by LEDs underneath. In addition, there is a room within the monument's attic, above the archway opening, for a war museum or trophy room. The room, measuring long, was originally decorated with marble wainscoting and mosaic panels, and there were ceiling vaults with ornamentation honoring Civil War soldiers. Three glass-domed skylights illuminated the room. By the late 20th century, the room was an art exhibition space with little decoration.
Sculptures
The sculptor Frederick MacMonnies was hired to design sculptures for the arch.; On the top of the arch is a quadriga or four-horse chariot, atop which is a figure of Columbia, the female personification of the United States. The figure holds a sword in her left (non-dominant) hand, signifying peace, in addition to a flag topped by a wreath, signifying victory. The quadriga is tall and weighs .
At ground level, MacMonnies also designed two bronze sculptural groups on the arch's southern facade, which represent the United States Army and United States Navy. The Army grouping includes a young officer surrounded by other soldiers, in addition to a Valkyrie-like figure. The Army statues were based on the painting Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix. The Navy grouping depicts a group of sailors pointing at a distant object; the sailors stand on a ship with a snapped mast, and there is a depiction of a nude goddess above them. The Navy grouping includes a depiction of a black sailor kneeling; at the time of the arch's completion, comparatively few monuments depicted black men.
There have been claims that the soldiers in the sculptures were modeled on French people. For example, the president of the Kings County Historical Society claimed in 1930 that the sculptures' uniforms were based on French soldiers' uniforms, while the caps are slightly different from those worn by Civil War veterans. MacMonnies refuted the claims, saying the figures were based upon Americans he saw in Paris. Specifically, the figures contain the faces of MacMonnies and his friends. One of the wounded figures depicts MacMonnies's former mentor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The sculptures were intended to honor "common soldiers", in contrast to other war memorials, which honored military leaders.
Temporary art The arch has been used for temporary art installations, including exhibits by local artists in the late 20th century. During the 1980s, these included a multimedia exhibit, an equestrian-themed exhibit, a show with works themed to angels, a show based on classical architecture, and an exhibit about monuments and home goods. There were also exhibits in the 1990s, including works about civil wars, Ghanaian folk art, Nuyorican art, photos of Prospect Park, and a controversial multimedia piece depicting an assassination.; Additionally, during the 2024 restoration of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch, a set of works by local contemporary artists was placed at the arch's base.;
Development Planning
After the American Civil War, the city of Brooklyn planned a grand memorial to Union Army soldiers. Although a statue of Lincoln on Grand Army Plaza and a memorial shaft on Battle Hill were erected in the late 1860s, no major monuments were built in Brooklyn for two decades. In May 1887, the New York State Legislature passed legislation authorizing the development of a major Civil War monument in Brooklyn, Initially, the monument's construction was to be overseen by Brooklyn's mayor and common council. Brooklyn's park commissioners agreed that June to develop the monument in City Hall Park (now Columbus Park).; The legislature decided in 1888 to instead appoint a three-person commission to develop the monument. The commission consisted of Brooklyn's mayor, Brooklyn's aldermanic president, and the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Committee's chairman.
The state legislature allocated $100,000 for the monument, of which half was to be made available during 1888 and half in 1889.; The monument was planned as a shaft, and contracts were about to be awarded for the shaft when the plans were changed. By early 1888, a memorial arch was being proposed at Prospect Park Plaza (later Grand Army Plaza) instead. The plans for the arch followed the dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, in 1886. After Brooklyn mayor Alfred C. Chapin vetoed an initial design by Henry Baerer, an architectural design competition for the monument was hosted for the arch.; By October 1888, thirty-six architectural firms had submitted designs. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Commission hired William R. Ware and Charles B. Atwood to review the designs. The state government added another $150,000 for the arch's construction in 1889.
John Hemenway Duncan, the designer of Grant's Tomb in Manhattan, was selected as the architect that August.; Duncan received $1,000 for his design, and the runner-up was to receive $500. Duncan's design, known as "Red Seal", called for a structure with statuary at the top and pilasters supporting the attic. There were supposed to have been pedestals at the base of either of the arch's abutments, topped by bronze allegorical groups of statues. The arch was originally supposed to stand across an entrance into the park. However, Duncan objected to placing the arch on the park's perimeter, and Brooklyn city officials agreed instead to build the arch at the plaza's southern end, within a median, in September 1889.; The arch was originally supposed to stand tall, but the Monument Commission recommended reducing the arch's height to reduce the amount of stone needed. Even with a reduced height, the arch was intended to be one of the world's largest triumphal arches.
Construction