New York, NY
Vertical Access was retained by Leslie E. Robertson Associates (LERA) to perform a close visual survey of the exterior facade and to document existing conditions to assist the project team with development of restoration recommendations.
Monument description
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Monument is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in Riverside Park near West 89th Street. Dedicated on Memorial Day, 1902 it is a monument to Union Army soldiers and sailors who served in the Civil War. The monument was designed by the architects Charles and Arthur Stoughton, who won a design competition held in 1897. Architect Paul Duboy executed the carvings of the ornamental features.
The design of the 96 foot tall monument is based on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis in Athens, and comprises a tall base, a rusticated cylindrical drum ringed by twelve Corinthian columns, and a low conical roof. The exterior is clad in white marble with a granite water table that also forms a bench surrounding the base of the monument. An entrance to the structure on the south side of the monument leads into a tall interior space that features a tiled dome with an oculus that opens onto a second dome, both constructed by the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company.
Scope of work
- Documented representative and notable conditions from the top of the monument to grade with digital photographs hyperlinked to annotated condition drawings using TPAS®.
- Assisted with the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of the exterior masonry by providing lift operating services for infrared thermography, and industrial rope access rigging and supervision for ground penetration radar and ultrasonic pulse velocity testing at select areas.
- Used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at interior to document conditions with visible light and infrared thermography.
Building owner
- New York City Department of Parks and Recreation