Thirty-eight years after its last restoration, New York City is giving Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn another upgrade. On Friday morning, city officials announced that $8.9 million would go towards restoring the Soldier and Sailors Memorial Arch and the landscaped berms around the plaza, as well as other sections.

"Grand Army Plaza welcomes us to Brooklyn’s most beloved park, and with this funding, we can fully realize the beauty of this monument honoring those who have served," Mayor Bill de Blasio said this morning.

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver added, "The Soldiers and Sailors arch [see it here in the 1980s] is an iconic landmark in Brooklyn, and a grand welcome for so many visitors to beautiful Prospect Park. The arch and its surroundings are long overdue for repairs, and we are grateful to Mayor de Blasio and Prospect Park Alliance for recognizing the need to restore Grand Army Plaza to its former glory."



The area in the 1920s. (Courtesy of the NYPL)

The Prospect Park Alliance will be leading the restoration, and its president, Sue Donoghue, called Grand Army Plaza "the front door of Prospect Park." A press release details the history of the plaza, as well as what the new work will entail:

Grand Army Plaza was designed by park creators Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as the grand formal entrance of Prospect Park at the time of its construction in 1867. In 1889, the Plaza became the site of the Soldiers and Sailors Arch, which was dedicated in 1892 to commemorate those who fought with the Union troops during the Civil War. The arch was designed by John H. Duncan with sculptures by Frederick MacMonnies. On top of the arch is a “Quadriga” of Columbia, who represents the United States, surrounded by two winged Victories who trumpet her arrival. Smaller sculptures mounted on pedestals depict soldiers and sailors. The Arch was landmarked in 1975, when the structure was in severe disrepair, and in 1976 Columbia literally fell from her chariot. The City undertook a restoration of the Arch in 1980.



Nearly 40 years later, the Arch is once again in need of restoration. This $8.9 million capital project will enable the Alliance to replace the Arch's roof, clean and repoint the brick and stone structure, repair the interior iron staircases that lead to the roof, and replace the interior and exterior lighting. The project will also include replanting the landscaped berms that frame the Plaza on its east and west sides, which are sustained by Alliance horticultural crews and volunteers. This includes adding new trees and replacing the existing chain link fence with a low steel panel fence. Additionally, the Alliance will remove the broken bluestone pavement that surrounds the plaza's John F. Kennedy Memorial and the Bailey Fountain with granite pavement.

After the press conference, Mayor de Blasio jumped on a CitiBike: