Soldiers ' and Sailors ' Monument ( Manhattan ) The Soldiers ' and Sailors ' Memorial Monument commemorates Union Army soldiers and sailors who served in the American Civil War . It is located at 89th Street and Riverside Drive in Riverside Park in the Upper West Side of New York City . Development and construction . First suggested in 1869 little was done to create the monument until 1893 . In 1893 , the New York State legislature established a Board of Commissioners for a monument to the soldiers and sailors who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War . Originally set to be built at fifty - ninth Street and Fifth Avenue then at Mount Tom ( 83rd Street & Riverside Drive ) the project was delayed for may years because many organizations in the city could not agree on a site for the monument . When the final site was selected , the winning design for the monument had to be redesigned for the new site . Ground was broken for the monument on September 21 , 1900 . Mr . Guggenheimer turned the first spadeful of dirt . About 200 people were present at the ground breaking ceremony . The first stone was laid in January 1901 . On the cornerstone was a simple inscription saying that the monument was erected by the citizens of New York . It was finally dedicated on Memorial Day , 1902 with Governor Theodore Roosevelt officiating . During the dedication , the monument was unveiled following a parade of Civil War veterans up Riverside Drive . The memorial bears the simple inscription : " To the memory of the brave soldiers and sailors who saved the Union " . The monument cost $ 300 , 000 to erect . Granite quarried from the Lacasse Quarry located at Derby , Orleans County , Vermont , was used in the construction . The white marble monument was designed after a public competition by architects Charles and Arthur Stoughton . Their design was known as the “ Temple of Fame . ” The ornamental features were carved by Paul E . Duboy ( 1857 – 1907 ) who also was the architect of The Ansonia , an apartment building also on the Upper West Side . Inspired by Greek antiquity it is based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens . The monument takes the form of a peripteral Corinthian temple raised on a high base , with a tall cylindrical rusticated cella , that carries a low conical roof like a lid , ringed by twelve Corinthian columns . Plinths at the entrance to the raised terrace are incised with the names of the New York volunteer regiments and the battles in which they served , as well as Union generals . The monument stands at the center of a complex sequence of balustrade d formal paved terraces and stairs that rationalize the steep natural slopes to north and west . Its siting at a curve in Riverside Drive makes it visible from a distance , a desirable feature for a monument in the City Beautiful movement , of which this Beaux - Arts monument is a prime example . Originally , there was a planned stairway to the river and a battlemented wall to the south but these were never built . It appears that the area south of the plaza was simply paved , or perhaps treated with pebbles . On the south side of the monument are two mounted cannons . On the west side of the memorial , the back steps to the terraces offer views of the Hudson River . The monument measures approximately 29 meters tall . The initial design called for the monument to be crowned with a statue of Peace " of heroic size " but this was not done . The sculptured bronze door at the base of the monument , now kept locked , was originally open to visitors . Currently , the interior is open one day annually at Openhousenewyork . It is entirely revetted with the same veined white marble used on the exterior and a mosaic floor underneath a dome . It is in two stages , with six niches in the lower stage , corresponding to the exterior basement and an upper stage of tall Corinthian pilasters flanking plain panels ; above is a ribbed interior dome with a central lantern . The mosaic on the floor is a star centered on a bronze relief medallion of the US arms , with crossed oak and laurel sprays . The colonnade carries an entablature adorned with a full frieze containing the inscriptions " To the memory of the Brave Soldiers and Sailors Who Saved the Union , " A cresting of eagles alternating with cartouches surmounts the cornice . The monument terminates in a low conical roof crowned by a richly decorated marble finial . 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 . Parades and celebrations . Many huge Memorial Day celebrations have been centered on this monument . The number of people and interest in the Memorial Day celebrations at this monument has varied greatly and at times has been very significant . On Memorial Day 1907 , 16 , 000 men marched in a GAR Parade . However , in 1910 , in a celebration headed by President Taft , only 1 , 500 showed up . In 1911 , 20 , 00 men and 150 organizations took part in the Memorial Day parade . Then in 1914 , 9000 men were noted in the New York Times article , in a parade from 72nd street to the monument . In 1922 , the Memorial Day parade attracted 14 , 000 participants . The numbers dwindled down and in the 1990 ' s only attracted only a few dozen people . Sept . 11 , 2001 , altered attitudes . The numbers grew after that . Use and site responsibility . In addition to annual Memorial Day celebrations , the monument has been used in the scenes and as a backdrop of movies such as " The Odd Couple " , " Godspell " and " Parting Glances " as well as a backdrop to TV shows " Law & Order " and " Sex and the City " . In the mid 1980 ' s the West Side Arts Coalition provided midsummer dance programs on the steps of the monument at 89th street . Since 2004 , the monument has also served as the home of the Hudson Warehouse theatre company . They perform Shakespeare performances on the back steps of the monument in the summer months . It was also known as a " gay cruising area " in the 60 ' s . A Riverside Park Conservancy maintains the plantings in the area surrounding the monument . Site designation . The monument was designated a municipal landmark in 1976 . The New York Landmark Commission designated the Soldiers ' and Sailors ' Monument a state landmark in 2001 .