Cleveland’s Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

Stained Glass Inside the Monument

Beginning in June, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which sits on Cleveland’s Public Square, will be undergoing a renovation. According to Neil K. Evans, president of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission, restoration will take place on the glass, brass and marble inside the historic structure. The cost of this project is estimated at $2 million. Personally, I’m glad that this prominent monument will be getting a much-needed cleanup.

The monument is Cleveland’s Civil War memorial, and was designed by Levi T. Scofield. It was dedicated on July 4, 1894. Here’s more detail on the monument, from The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:


“The initial drive to build a local monument began on 30 Oct. 1879, when a group of Civil War veterans met at Case Hall in Cleveland to advocate such a project. Actual planning and funding of the monument were handled by a 3-man commission appointed under an act of the state legislature, passed on 16 Apr. 1888. The monument consists of an elevated base containing a tablet room. The base is surmounted by a column capped with a 15' high Statue of Liberty, bringing the total height of the structure to 125'. Surrounding the exterior of the base are 4 groupings of bronze sculpture (cast approx. one-third larger than life) depicting various battle scenes. These groupings represent the 4 main armed services: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Navy. The tablet room contains lists of Cuyahoga County residents who served in the Civil War, as well as 4 bronze reliefs representing the "Emancipation of the Slave," "Beginning of the War in Ohio," members of the various soldiers' relief organizations, and "The End of the War--The Peacemakers at City Point." The total cost of the monument was $280,000, all but $10,000 of which was raised through public taxes. Scofield donated all of his architectural services to the project. “

Please visit the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument website for more information about this monument.

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