Restoration of the beloved Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Riverside Park is finally moving forward after years of delay. Mayor Eric Adams and his administration have committed $62.3 million toward renovations and repairs to the massive structure. (Special thanks to local Council Member and preservation supporter Gale Brewer!) This will be the first major improvement in over 60 years.
At a Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) hearing on June 11, the City’s Parks Department presented a proposal to treat the deteriorated masonry and install a winding accessible path to the Monument. The Conservancy’s comments welcomed the proposal as an early step toward getting this work underway. We suggested that the new pathway would be more in context with the classical form of the Monument if it was laid out in a more symmetrical and formal manner. Several commissioners raised questions about the path and its landscaped setting. In the end, the LPC supported the proposal with an 8-0 vote. Work is expected to conclude in 2025.
In 2015, the Conservancy was involved in getting a conditions assessment completed for the Monument. That document informs the upcoming restoration work. When Upper West Side Council Member Gale Brewer asked the Conservancy for assistance in finding funds for the Monument in 2022, we encouraged the creation of a petition calling for the City to support the monument’s restoration. The petition’s popularity successfully persuaded Mayor Eric Adams to include the funding for the Monument in the City’s 2024 budget.
