New York City is full of history. Its streets, parks, and plazas tell stories of courage, sacrifice, and service. This Veterans Day, we invite you to explore some of the city’s most meaningful memorials, many just a short distance from 305 West End Assisted Living.
From grand monuments to contemplative groves, each site offers a chance to reflect on the men and women who have served our country and to pay tribute to their enduring legacy. For a quiet moment of remembrance, these ten memorials in Manhattan provide a unique way to honor our veterans.
1. Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
- Location: Riverside Drive at West 89th Street
- Nearest Landmark: Riverside Park
What It Commemorates: This monumental structure honors Union soldiers and sailors from New York who served during the American Civil War. The circular temple, with 12 Corinthian columns stands 100 feet tall and is a prominent feature along Riverside Drive. Since its dedication on Memorial Day in 1902, it has stood as a testament to the sacrifices made by these New Yorkers and as a focal point for honoring all who have served.
2. General Grant National Memorial
- Location: Riverside Drive at West 122nd Street
- Nearest Landmark: Riverside Park / Morningside Heights
What It Commemorates: Also known as Grant’s Tomb, this memorial honors Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War general and 18th President of the United States, and his wife Julia Dent Grant. Constructed in the 1890s and restored in the 1990s, it is the largest mausoleum in North America. Its grand classical design and peaceful interior mosaics celebrate Grant’s leadership in preserving the Union and his contributions during reconstruction.
General Grant National Memorial, the final resting place of President Ulysses S. Grant, Union General during the Civil War
3. Seventh Regiment Memorial
- Location: Central Park West at West 69th Street
- Nearest Landmark: Central Park
What It Commemorates: This bronze statue honors the men of the Seventh Regiment who died serving in the Civil War. Created by sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward and dedicated in 1874, it depicts a citizen-soldier at ease, reflecting the valor of ordinary volunteers. Positioned along Central Park’s West Drive, it offers a quiet spot for reflection.
4. General Daniel Butterfield Statue
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- Location: Sakura Park, Northwest corner of Claremont Avenue and West 122nd Street
- Nearest Landmark: Riverside Drive / Morningside Heights
What It Commemorates: This statue honors General Daniel Butterfield, Civil War officer and composer of the bugle call “Taps”. Sculpted by Gutzon Borglum and dedicated in 1918, the statue is set in a peaceful park among cherry trees, positioned symbolically facing Grant’s Tomb, linking Butterfield’s military service to Grant’s legacy.
Detail of top of USS Maine National Monument
5. Maine Monument
- Location: West 59th Street & Central Park West (Merchant’s Gate)
- Nearest Landmark: Central Park / Columbus Circle
What It Commemorates: This monument honors the 261 sailors who died when the USS Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana Harbor in Cuba in 1898, an event leading to the Spanish-American War. Funded in large part by a fundraising campaign run by William Randolph Hearst, and designed by H. Van Buren Magonigle with bronze work by Attilio Piccirilli, the monument was dedicated in 1913. Standing 57 feet high, the gilded figures and sculptures make it a striking Central Park entrance and a powerful reminder of sacrifice.
6. McGowan’s Pass Redoubt
- Location: Northern section of Central Park, near East 107th Street and Fifth Avenue
- Nearest Landmark: Harlem Meer
What It Commemorates: This historic site marks a Revolutionary War fortification used to defend Manhattan. Established around 1776, the redoubt’s remaining rock outcrops and marker honor soldiers’ strategic efforts to fend off the British. Named for a nearby tavern established by Catherine McGowan in 1759, the preserved redoubt offers a contemplative stop for visitors interested in early American military history and New York City’s role in the nation’s founding conflicts.
7. 307th Infantry Regiment Memorial Grove
- Location: Central Park East near 70th Street
- Nearest Landmark: The Mall
What It Commemorates: The Memorial Grove honors the men of the 307th Infantry Regiment of the 77th U.S. Division who served in World War I. Dedicated in 1925, oak trees were planted for each company, with plaques commemorating the fallen. A large boulder engraved with the regiment’s tribute makes this a reflective stop along the Park’s Mall.
107th Regiment Monument, Central Park West
8. 107th Infantry Memorial
- Location: East 67th Street & Fifth Avenue
- Nearest Landmark: Central Park
What It Commemorates: Dedicated in 1927, this bronze sculpture by Karl Morningstar Illava, an infantryman with the 107th, honors fellow members of the 107th Infantry Regiment who died in World War I. Dedicated in 1927, the location was chosen because of its proximity to the Regiment’s Armory to the east on Park Avenue. Seven soldiers are depicted in motion atop a granite base, celebrating the courage and service of these men and offering a striking visual reminder of sacrifice along Fifth Avenue.
9. Grand Army Plaza & General Sherman Monument
- Location: Fifth Avenue at 59th Street, Southeast entrance to Central Park
- Nearest Landmark: Plaza / Central Park Entrance
What It Commemorates: This equestrian statue honors General William Tecumseh Sherman and the Union Army of the Civil War. Commissioned by the New York Chamber of Commerce in 1892, sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, dedicated in 1903 and restored in 2015, the gilded bronze figure and allegorical Victory sculpture symbolize leadership and valor. This statue is a centerpoint of the northern half of Grand Army Plaza, which is one of four monumental plazas placed at the corners of Central Park, and has been called “one of the showplaces of New York.”
General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument Statue in Grand Army Plaza
10. Clinton War Memorial (Doughboy Statue)
- Location: DeWitt Clinton Park, 11th Avenue & West 52nd Street
- Nearest Landmark: Hell’s Kitchen
What It Commemorates: This memorial honors local men from Hell’s Kitchen who died in World War I. Sculpted by Burt W. Johnson and dedicated in 1930, the “doughboy” statue depicts a WWI infantryman holding poppies and a rifle, with an inscription referencing the John McCrae poem In Flanders Fields. McCrae was a Canadian physician and lieutenant colonel who was inspired to write the poem in response to the death of a friend and fellow soldier in Belgium. It is one of nine such “doughboy” statues erected in New York City’s parks and offers a meaningful stop in the reflection of our veterans’ sacrifices.
If you’re willing to venture a bit father, New York City has many additional memorials worth visiting — the New York Korean War Veterans Memorial in Battery Park, the Brooklyn War Memorial, and the 369th Infantry Regiment Memorial in the Bronx. Each offers a unique site to reflect and to honor our veterans. You can find more information and locations by visiting nyc.gov/parks.
