Grant's Tomb facts for kids

"General Grant National Memorial" redirects here. For the memorial in Washington, D.C., see Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

General Grant National Memorial
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Memorial

Grant's Tomb at dusk
Location	Riverside Drive and West 122nd Street Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Area	0.76 acres (0.31 ha)
Built	April 27, 1897
Architect	John H. Duncan
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Visitation	80,046 (2005)
Website	General Grant National Memorial
NRHP reference No.	66000055
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NMEM	August 14, 1958

Grant's Tomb, also known as the General Grant National Memorial, is the final resting place for Ulysses S. Grant. He was the 18th president of the United States. His wife, Julia, is also laid to rest there.

This grand building is a mausoleum with a dome. It is located in the Morningside Heights area of Upper Manhattan in New York City. You can find it on Riverside Drive at 122nd Street. It sits just east of Riverside Park.

The memorial has been a national memorial since 1958. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its outside and inside are special New York City landmarks.

When Grant passed away in July 1885, his wife said he wanted to be buried in New York. A spot in Riverside Park was chosen quickly. A group called the Grant Monument Association (GMA) started raising money. They collected $100,000 in three months.

After two design contests, the GMA chose a plan by John H. Duncan. His design looked like the ancient Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. More money was raised, and the first stone was laid in 1892. The tomb was finished on April 27, 1897, which was Grant's 75th birthday.

The GMA first managed the tomb with city funds. In the late 1930s, the tomb was fixed up. Workers added murals and made the inside look new. The National Park Service (NPS) took over in 1959.

After some years of neglect, a college student named Frank Scaturro helped restore the tomb in the 1990s. Even with many changes, some parts of the monument, like a planned statue, were never completed.

The tomb's base is a rectangle with columns on three sides. It has a front porch, called a portico, on the south side. The top part is round with more columns and a stepped dome. Inside, the main area looks like a Greek cross. It has four arched rooms around a central domed space. The Grants' bodies are in red-granite sarcophagi (stone coffins) in a lower crypt.

Why Grant's Tomb Was Built

Ulysses S. Grant was born in 1822. He led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War. He then became the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. Grant died from throat cancer in July 1885. He was 63 years old.

Many people admired Grant when he died. Thousands of mourners came to see his empty coffin. People from all over sent letters of sympathy.

In his will, Grant said he wanted to be buried in New York City. He had lived there in his final years. He also wanted his wife, Julia, to be buried next to him. This meant military cemeteries were not an option.

Choosing a Burial Spot

After Grant's death, many people wanted a monument for him. The mayor of New York City, William Russell Grace, offered the city as a burial place. Julia agreed to have Ulysses buried in New York.

Mayor Grace asked important New Yorkers to help. They formed the Grant Monument Association (GMA). Chester A. Arthur, a former U.S. president, was its chairman.

City officials first thought about Central Park. But the Grant family felt the spots were too small. They then looked at Riverside Park. Many local leaders liked this location. On July 28, city officials chose Riverside Park.

The Temporary Tomb

Temporary tomb in Riverside Park, 1893

A temporary tomb was quickly built. It was a simple rectangular structure with brick walls. Grant was buried there on August 8, 1885. His funeral had up to 1.5 million mourners.

The temporary tomb became very popular. Thousands of visitors came each day. Soldiers guarded the tomb, which was called "Camp Grant." People continued to visit and leave gifts.

The exact spot for the permanent tomb was still being decided. City officials set aside a large area in Riverside Park. The tomb's presence helped new buildings go up in the area.

Raising Money for the Memorial

The GMA needed to raise a lot of money. They aimed for $1 million. Companies and concerts helped raise funds. However, fundraising slowed down. Some people thought the monument should be in Washington, D.C..

Julia Grant explained why Riverside Park was chosen. She said it was near her home. She also believed many people would visit it there.

Some people were unhappy with the GMA's management. They felt the wealthy members were not donating enough. The GMA also did not have a clear plan for the monument. This made donors hesitant. By the end of 1885, they had raised about $111,000.

Future site of tomb, 1886

A bill in Congress to give $500,000 for the project failed. Fundraising remained slow. By the late 1880s, some trustees left the GMA. The Grant family even thought about burying the former president somewhere else.

Designing and Building the Tomb

As fundraising struggled, people offered their own ideas for the memorial. The GMA eventually announced a design contest in 1887. The budget was $500,000. Architects had to submit their plans without their names.

The first contest received 65 entries. Five winners were chosen in 1889. However, the judges did not recommend any of these designs. Many newspapers criticized the plans.

Second Design Contest

The first contest's failure hurt the GMA's reputation. They decided to hold a second contest in 1890. Five architects were invited to compete. They had to design a tall monument. It needed space for a memorial hall and the Grants' coffins. The cost could not be more than $500,000.

On September 9, 1890, the GMA chose John H. Duncan's design. Duncan wanted to create a tomb that looked strong and military. His plan included a square base, a round middle section, and a pyramid-shaped dome.

Duncan's design was estimated to cost between $496,000 and $900,000. To save money, some non-essential parts of the design were removed.

Construction Begins

President Harrison lays the ceremonial cornerstone in 1892

The groundbreaking ceremony was on April 27, 1891. This was Grant's 69th birthday. The GMA hired John T. Brady to build the foundation. The city's park commissioners agreed to build the tomb on the temporary site.

Horace Porter, a friend of Grant, took over the GMA in 1892. He helped restart fundraising. The GMA raised $350,000 in just two months. By early 1893, over $600,000 had been raised. This came from over 90,000 donors. It was the largest fundraiser of its kind at the time.

Construction faced delays. A stonecutters' strike and issues with granite delivery slowed things down. By December 1894, the monument was 45 feet tall. The base was finished by May 1895.

The roof's steel frame was completed by mid-1896. The stonework on the outside was done the next month. The red granite for Grant's stone coffin arrived in March 1897. The front doors were installed on April 12, 1897. This marked the completion of all work.

The Tomb as a Memorial

Grant's Tomb on dedication day, April 27, 1897

The city budgeted $50,000 for the opening ceremony. Grant's remains were moved to his stone coffin on April 17, 1897. On April 25, two days before the dedication, 200,000 people visited the tomb.

The dedication was on April 27, 1897, Grant's 75th birthday. Despite bad weather, about one million people came. More than 50,000 people marched in a parade to the tomb.

After the ceremony, the tomb was closed for a day to prevent crowds. Then, thousands of people visited. A Chinese diplomat planted a ginkgo biloba tree next to the tomb in May 1897.

Early Years and Changes

The city paid the GMA $7,000 each year to maintain the tomb. George D. Burnside became the first curator. Julia's stone coffin was placed in the tomb in January 1898.

The monument had rules, like no loud talking. It attracted 560,000 visitors in its first eight months. It continued to have at least 500,000 visitors annually for several years.

Tomb on map in 1916

In the early 1900s, some visitors caused problems. They talked loudly, lingered, or damaged parts of the monument. The tomb also started to leak. Workers coated the inside with paraffin wax to stop the leaks.

Grant's Tomb attracted more visitors than the Statue of Liberty in 1906. It also hosted many foreign groups and ceremonies. The city renewed its contract with the GMA in 1908.

A building with restrooms was built west of the tomb in 1910. Japanese cherry trees were planted behind the tomb in 1912. The tomb continued to have drainage issues. The city rebuilt the plaza outside the tomb in 1927.

Renovations in the 1930s

In 1929, plans were announced for a statue of Grant on horseback. This was part of a larger plan by John Russell Pope. Fundraising slowed after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The project was canceled in 1933. Visitor numbers dropped below 100,000 a year.

Eagle statues outside Grant's Tomb were moved from the New York City Post Office in 1938.

Some of Pope's plans were carried out later. Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers installed new marble floors in 1935. They also renovated the roof and part of the inside in 1937. Dean Fausett designed two murals of battle maps.

Many changes were made in 1938. A heating and air-conditioning system was installed. Two eagle statues from the New York City Post Office were moved to the tomb. Artists designed five busts of Union Army generals. Four hundred and fifty WPA workers finished the project by January 1939. The renovation cost between $300,000 and $450,000.

Mid-20th Century Challenges

The GMA tried to add a statue outside the tomb, but it never happened. During World War II, the stone coffins were covered at night to protect them. Vandalism continued, and fewer people visited.

Interior of the tomb, looking up from crypt level

By the end of World War II, the tomb was only guarded by police patrols. The tomb became run down. In the early 1950s, the city increased its funding to the GMA. Still, maintenance costs were high.

In 1956, state lawmakers proposed transferring the tomb to the federal government. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill for this in 1958. The National Park Service (NPS) took over on May 1, 1959. The structure was officially renamed the General Grant National Memorial.

NPS Management and Restoration

The NPS wanted to make changes, like adding a statue. These plans were often met with opposition or canceled. Allyn Cox designed two mosaic murals, which were added in 1966. The tomb was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

The NPS allowed visitors to see the crypt and take pictures. Some WPA-era murals were painted over or changed. By the end of the 1960s, visitor numbers had dropped.

The dome was repainted in 1974.

In 1970, battle flags and documents were put into storage. Some documents were damaged. In 1972, mosaic-tile benches were added around the memorial. These benches were designed by Pedro Silva. They were meant to stop graffiti. The dome and inside arches were repainted in 1974.

By the 1970s, the tomb was often damaged by graffiti. Homeless people and others sometimes used the memorial. The visitor building closed. Visitor numbers reached a low point in 1979. The NPS tried to stop the damage, but it was difficult.

The tomb's staff was very small. The upper level was closed because there were not enough staff. Newspapers reported on the poor conditions in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The memorial was open only a few days a week.

The 1990s Restoration Efforts

Grant's Tomb, interior detail

Frank Scaturro, a college student, started an effort to restore the tomb in 1991. He was a volunteer park ranger. He sent many memos to the NPS about the tomb's condition. In 1993, he published a report. After a TV report, the NPS fired Scaturro. Grant's family called him a hero.

The poor condition of the tomb led to ideas about moving Grant's remains. Lawmakers in Illinois asked the NPS to fix the tomb or move the remains. Scaturro and a descendant of Grant sued the NPS.

The NPS then asked for $850,000 in federal funds for renovations. They also needed $250,000 a year for extra security. Eventually, $1.8 million was provided for the renovation.

The outside was fixed first, then the inside. The NPS cleaned the facade and replaced the leaky roof. New displays and systems were added. One of Fausett's murals was restored. The tomb was rededicated on April 27, 1997. This was its 100th anniversary and Grant's 175th birthday.

Grant's Tomb Today

The back side of Grant's Tomb in October 2021, closed to the public

After the renovation, visitor numbers went up. In 1997, there were 126,432 visitors. The memorial continued to have about 100,000 visitors annually in the early 2000s. Many visitors were interested in the Civil War.

The visitor center reopened on April 27, 2011. By then, the tomb had 120,000 annual visitors.

By the late 2010s, parts of the memorial again needed repairs. There was peeling paint, cracks, and water damage. In 2018, it was reported that the memorial needed over $777,000 for repairs.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer pledged money for restoration in 2019. However, vandalism still occurred. Due to staff shortages, the memorial sometimes closed on certain days. Visitors were only allowed in during alternating hours.

What Grant's Tomb Looks Like

The design of Grant's Tomb was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman buildings. It especially resembles the Pantheon, Rome. The monument is 150 feet tall. It uses little glass to make it seem like it will last forever.

The outside is made of granite from Maine. The facade looks like the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The base of the tomb is a rectangle, 72 feet high. It measures 90 by 90 feet.

Outside Features

Detail of plaque above the entrance

The main entrance has a 70-foot-wide set of stairs. These lead to a front porch with columns. There are ten columns in total. Above the columns is a decorative band with wreaths.

The wooden entrance doors are 4 feet wide and 16 feet tall. They weigh 7,000 pounds. The doors are covered with 296 rosettes.

Above the entrance is a plaque that says "Let us have peace." This refers to Grant's famous words. On each side of the plaque are female figures. They represent peace and victory. The west, north, and east sides also have columns.

Upper Section

Upper portion of Grant's Tomb

The top part of the memorial is round. It has columns in the Ionic order. Behind these columns is an inner wall. The columns support another decorative band.

Above the inner wall is a stepped cone. The capstone on top weighs 5 tons. Duncan designed the cone to look like Egyptian pyramids. There is also an observation deck about 130 feet high.

Inside the Tomb

The inside has a cross shape. It is covered with white marble from Massachusetts. The design was inspired by Napoleon's tomb in Paris.

Main Level

Interior of the main level

The center of the main room has a circular dome. The dome is 40 feet across. It is surrounded by a balcony. The balcony has 12 openings with columns. Each opening has two columns.

At each corner, the dome is supported by large pillars. These pillars are 50 feet high. Above them are curved spaces with sculptures. These sculptures show different times in Grant's life.

The side arms of the cross have arched ceilings. They are 50 feet high. The west, north, and east arms have three square windows with amber glass. The south arm has bronze doors.

Mosaics designed by Allyn Cox are above the windows. These mosaics show Civil War battles. They depict the battles of Chattanooga, Appomattox, and Vicksburg.

Spiral staircases lead to the balcony. There are also round rooms in the northwest and northeast corners. These rooms once had murals of Civil War battle maps. One mural was restored in the 1990s. Today, there are exhibits about the monument and Grant's life.

The Crypt

Red granite sarcophagi of Ulysses and Julia Grant

A double staircase in the northern arm goes down to the crypt. This is where Ulysses and Julia Grant rest. Their stone coffins are identical. They are made of 8.5-ton red granite. The granite looks similar to the stone used in Napoleon's tomb.

Each stone coffin is about 10 feet long, 5.5 feet wide, and 4.67 feet high. They sit on a single gray-blue granite base. A plaque with each Grant's name is on their coffin. A railing separates the coffins from a walkway.

The crypt walls have five niches. These niches hold busts (sculptures of heads and shoulders) of Union generals. They depict William T. Sherman, Phillip H. Sheridan, George H. Thomas, James B. McPherson, and Edward Ord.

Events at Grant's Tomb

Jazz concerts have been held outside the tomb since at least 1975. These concerts happen regularly. For example, Jazzmobile, Inc. hosts annual free outdoor concerts there. The Grant's Tomb Summer Concert has also featured the West Point Military Academy Band.

Every year on April 27, Grant's birthday, a ceremony is held at the memorial.

"Harlem Week" events have taken place outside Grant's Tomb. Many people in New York City know Grant's Tomb because of these events. Television specials for Independence Day have also featured the tomb. These shows have included famous performers. Other events, like picnics, have also been held there.

What People Think of the Tomb

Past Opinions

When Grant's Tomb was designed in 1890, The New York Times praised it. They said the choice was "well made." An architectural critic called it "by far the best" design. Duncan received awards for his work.

Some people even said it was better than Napoleon's tomb. One newspaper called it "our one great memorial." The design of Grant's Tomb inspired the McKinley National Memorial in Ohio.

However, not everyone liked it. Some newspapers called the design "cheap" or "ugly." One critic said the monument's parts did not fit together well. Another magazine said the outside was "imposing" but some parts "lacked interest."

Recent Opinions

The colorful mosaic benches added in 1974 were controversial. Some thought they clashed with the tomb's serious look. Others, like architecture critic Paul Goldberger, called them "Manhattan's finest piece of folk art."

The WPA Guide to New York City in 1939 said the different shapes of the tomb were hard to combine well. In 1980, Goldberger called the monument "more pompous than graceful, but it is imposing."

The AIA Guide to New York City in 2010 called the tomb a "pompous sepulcher." It described the benches as "a populist huzzah." In 2015, The Wall Street Journal said the tomb was "relatively stark without being uninviting."

In Movies and TV

After it was built, Grant's Tomb became a very recognizable building. It appeared on postcards and in early short films. In the mid-20th century, it was mentioned in movies like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.

As the tomb became run down, it was shown in films like the 1991 crime thriller New Jack City. In the 21st century, it appeared in shows like Pan Am.

On the quiz show You Bet Your Life, comedian Groucho Marx often asked, "Who was buried in Grant's Tomb?" The tricky answer is "no one." This is because the Grants' stone coffins are above ground, not buried. Marx accepted "Grant" as an answer and gave a prize. This riddle has been around since at least the 1930s.