The arch also includes spandrels by Philip Martiny, equestrian bas-reliefs by Thomas Eakins and William Rudolf O'Donovan, and three sculptural groups by Frederick MacMonnies.

After the Civil War, the then-independent city of Brooklyn planned a grand memorial to Union Army soldiers, though no major monument was built for two decades.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch is at the southern end of Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S., just north of the entrance to Prospect Park.

[9][21] The room was originally decorated with marble wainscoting and mosaic panels, and there were ceiling vaults with ornamentation honoring Civil War soldiers.

[1][28] On the top of the arch is a quadriga or four-horse chariot,[29] atop which is a figure of Columbia, the female personification of the United States.

Although a statue of Lincoln on Grand Army Plaza and a memorial shaft on Battle Hill were erected in the late 1860s, no major monuments were built in Brooklyn for two decades.

[65] Several contractors were invited to submit bids for the arch in late 1889,[67][68] and Cranford & Valentine were hired to excavate the foundations for $12,274.

[75][8] In addition, while constructing the foundation, workers discovered a layer of muck beneath the site of the arch, a remnant of a former pond.

[69][56] Brooklyn Park Commissioner Frank Squire engaged Frederick MacMonnies to design a quadriga, or chariot with four horses, above the arch in October 1894.

[96][97] Brooklyn park commissioner Timothy L. Woodruff initially refused to pay $7,500 of the bas-reliefs' $17,500 cost,[98] but he had agreed to provide the funds in July 1896.

[99] Additionally, as part of a renovation of Prospect Park Plaza, new lamps were installed, and several laurels and evergreens were planted around the monument to draw attention away from its bare walls.

[105] The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) preferred that the sculptures be completed by Memorial Day in 1898, as they wanted to invite MacMonnies to see the dedication of his own work.

The project would include cleaning the granite and the Army and Navy sculptural groups, as well as repairs to the brick pavement, bas-reliefs, and electroliers.

[144] In 1941, Brooklyn borough president John Cashmore suggested illuminating the monument at night,[144] although the Board of Estimate voted to defer the installation of the lights until after the end of the war, citing a lack of funds.

[146] A piece of copper flashing near the arch's roof was knocked loose following a storm in 1952,[147] prompting NYC Parks officials to plan emergency repairs.

[150] NYC Parks engineers found that the original quadriga had a design flaw;[148] the bronze sculptures were mounted directly to a steel support frame, which had begun to flake over time due to water damage.

[156] Additionally, in the early 1960s, Brooklyn borough president Abe Stark and NYC Parks commissioner Newbold Morris proposed adding stronger floodlights to the arch.

[160][161] In addition, NYC Parks planned to add new doors, gates, chains; replace the arch's bronze decorations; and reinstall damaged lampposts.

[46] City parks commissioner Martin Lang estimated that the arch needed $200,000 worth of repairs,[166] and members of the public requested that the figure be restored.

[170] The quadriga's central figure was reinstalled in October 1980, and the restoration was completed the same month, several weeks ahead of schedule.

[27][46] The public was initially allowed to access the arch's interior and deck on selected Sunday afternoons,[36][173] and 25,000 people had visited within two years of its reopening.

[22] Another restoration of the arch began in July 1999 after Brooklyn borough president Howard Golden and the David Schwartz Foundation provided a combined $240,000 for the project.

[184] The sculptures were cleaned yet again in 2009;[185][186] the project cost $1.1 million and was funded by borough president Marty Markowitz and City Council member Letitia James.

[64] Stone magazine wrote that the arch was unique among American memorials, which tended to be statues, columns, or shafts, and that the structure was impressive because of its size and large proportions.

[196] A reporter for Scientific American wrote that they hoped the arch's completion would cause "the tasteless granite column" to fall out of fashion.

[97] In a guidebook about Prospect Park and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Richard Berenson and Neil deMause wrote that Lincoln looked like he was "begging for pennies" with his hat.

[201] The Brooklyn Daily Eagle critic wrote that the quadriga added an artistic touch to the arch, whereas the bas-reliefs were present purely for political purposes.

[204] Paul Goldberger, writing for the same newspaper in 1984, said that the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch was the greatest classical grouping in New York City" despite the disconnected architecture of the surrounding neighborhood.

[209] In addition, mosaics and plaques with angel motifs were installed in the New York City Subway's nearby Grand Army Plaza station in 1996.

The motifs, part of an artwork known as Wings for the IRT: The Irresistible Romance of Travel, were inspired by the decorations on the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch.