Crown Heights History: Grand Army Plaza
This series on Crown Heights History has been compiled by Instagram account @crownheightshistory, a born and raised Crown Heightser, and shows some of the ongoing research taking place.
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch at Grand Army Plaza is one of the most iconic structures encountered by travelers to Crown Heights from Manhattan.
Originally known as “the Plaza” and later Prospect Park Plaza and marks the beginning of the Eastern Parkway. In 1888, the Parks Commission called the Plaza “devoid of all life and a stony waste” in its annual report, after which architecture firm McKim, Mead, and White began transforming the space into what it is today.
The Arch was dedicated in 1892 as an American Civil War memorial “To the Defenders of the Union, 1861–1865”. It was designed and constructed by John H. Duncan, Frederick MacMonnies, and Philip Martiny as well as Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the same architects who designed Eastern Parkway in 1866. The Arch is made of granite with bas-relief figures in spandrels on the south face, the seal of the city of Brooklyn and the seal of New York state in spandrels on the north face, sixteen medallions, four on each of the pier stages at the south and north faces. The bronze sculptures were added in 1894-5.
In 1973 the Arch was designated an official City landmark, and in 1975 the entire Grand Army Plaza was designated such as well.
(Thank you very much to our contributor for this these really good pictures).
Bicycles
Not so many Citibikes back then.
Yeah
Lol 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆
Ephraim Daniel Botnick
What is that large tower in the background?
History
That’s a reservoir tower. I don’t totally know why reservoirs I had towers but apparently they did. . Maybe it was to look over and make sure the water was protected.
Eventually, New York City built three reservoirs Upstate and that’s where our drinking water comes from. Part of the reason the city of Brooklyn joined the greatest city of New York in 1898 was because they needed the water.
Paul McMonnies
As an ancestor of Frederick MacMonnies, my son and I recently travelled from the UK to visit the Soldiers & Sailors Arch (along with several other Fred Mac pieces around Prospect Park, in Brooklyn Museum and dotted around Manhattan) only to find that it was being restored and was covered in scaffolding!
Some trivia: The tall figure on the left hand scuplture is a self-portrait of “Uncle Fred” :)