nyccheaptravel.com

Tag: Monuments

  • Federal Hall National Memorial

    Federal Hall

    Federal Hall National Memorial. Photo by MusikAnimal (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
    The Federal Hall National Memorial marks the site which served as the first capital of the United States and where George Washington was inaugurated as President of the United States.

    The monument is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday (closed on the weekends).

    Admission is free.

    This site is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

     

    History of Federal Hall

    George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. That structure served as the nation’s first capitol building and was where the Bill of Rights was introduced to congress. Unfortunately, that original building was demolished in 1812.

    A chunk of the original Federal Hall building – a piece of the balcony on which George Washington stood for his first inauguration – was preserved and is on display in the National Memorial.

    The structure which now operates at the Federal Hall National Memorial was constructed on the same site as the original Federal Hall. It was originally constructed as the United States Customs House for the Port of New York in 1842. It served as the Customs House until 1862, then as a United States Sub-Treasury location, before being established as the Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site in 1939.

    A bronze statue of George Washington has stood on the steps of the structure since 1883, marking the approximate location where he stood when first inaugurated as President of the United States.[spacer height=”20px”]

    Exhibits

    The monument’s galleries feature exhibits about George Washington and the early days of the United States of America. Items on display include the bible used when George Washington took his oath of office as President.

    The monument’s visitor center is located near the Pine Street entrance, on the main floor. You’ll find a park ranger there to answer questions, plus the center is operated in cooperation with NYC’s tourism organization, so there’s lots of information about other New York City attractions.[spacer height=”20px”]

    Location

    The Federal Hall National Memorial is located on Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.

    The street address is 26 Wall Street.

     

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  • Visit Grant’s Tomb in Riverside Park

    General Grant National Monument in Riverside Park

    Grant’s Tomb. Photo by Ad Meskens (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
    Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and 18th U.S. President, died in 1885 at the age of 63. He was living in Mount McGregor, New York at the time.

    Grant’s family chose New York City as his final resting place, in part, because that was where Mrs. Grant intended to reside, and she wanted her husband’s monument nearby. When she passed away in 1902, she was laid to rest in Grant’s Tomb, by her husband’s side

    After several years of fighting between Washington DC and New York City over which city the monument to Grant should be located in and several more years designing, funding, and constructing the monument, Grant’s Tomb was completed in 1897, twelve years after General Grant’s death. Read more about the history of Grant’s Tomb at Wikipedia.

    Grant’s Tomb is the largest mausoleum in North America. The monument is constructed of granite and has a domed rotunda which overlooks a crypt with matching red granite sarcophagi where President and Mrs. Grant are entombed.

    A visitors center is located near the tomb. The visitor center has exhibits and a short film about General Grant, a bookstore, and public restrooms.

    The official name of the monument is the General Grant National Memorial. The monument has been managed by the National Park Service since 1958.

     

    Visiting Grant’s Tomb

    Grant’s Tomb is located in Riverside Park in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan. The entrance to the memorial is near the intersection of West 122nd Street and Riverside Drive. See a map.

    Grant’s Tomb is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The visitors center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

    There is no admission fee charged to visit Grant’s Tomb or the visitor center.

    See comments from visitors to the General Grant National Memorial at TripAdvisor.

     

    Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb?

    You may have heard the question, “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” The answer would be Grant, right? Well, not exactly. The tricky part is the use of the word “buried” in the question. The correct answer is “no one,” since Grant and his wife are entombed in sarcophagi above ground in an atrium rather than being buried in the ground.

    The question originated with Groucho Marx’s 1950s TV show “You Bet Your Life”.

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