Grant Square: Ulysses S. Grant Sculpture Restoration - Brooklyn NY

City:: Brooklyn, New York City, NY
Site Type:: Archaeology and History, Civic Facilities, Art Works, Monuments and Memorials, Sculptures, Historical Restoration
New Deal Agencies:: Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

“This large bronze equestrian statue by William Ordway Partridge (1861-1930) depicts Civil War General and 18th United States President Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822-1885). Though Grant’s reputation was tarnished after serving as President amidst one of the most corrupt administrations in the nation’s history, he is revered for his decisive action in bringing about the end of the Civil War…

The sculpture of Grant was commissioned by the Union Club of Brooklyn and unveiled on April 27, 1896, the 74th anniversary of his birth. Partridge depicts a determined Grant in his military outfit, including his signature wide-brimmed hat. The work is one of the first large-scale bronzes cast in the United States.” (www.nycgovparks.org)

In the 1930s, the sculpture was restored with federal funding under Karl Gruppe, “chief sculptor of the Monument Restoration Project of the New York City Parks Department, from 1934 to 1937.” The program was initially supported by federal funding from the Public Works of Art Project (Lowrey, 2008), and later by the WPA.