James A. Garfield Memorial

The James A. Garfield Memorial was built in memory of the 20th U.S. President, James A. Garfield, who was assassinated in 1881. The memorial is located at 12316 Euclid Avenue in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. The country grieved for his loss almost as much as they had done for Lincoln, 16 years previously. In Washington, 100,000 plus citizens visited his casket, lying in state in the Capitol. Part of the memorial's funding came from pennies sent in by children throughout the country.[2]

This article is about the memorial in Cleveland. For the memorial in Washington, D.C., see James A. Garfield Monument. For the memorial in Philadelphia, see James Garfield Memorial.
James A. Garfield Memorial
Location12316 Euclid Ave. in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio
Coordinates41°30′36″N 81°35′29″W
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1890
ArchitectGeorge Keller; Caspar Buberl, sculptor
Architectural styleGothic, Romanesque
NRHP reference No.73001411[1]
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1973

The caskets of the President and Lucretia Garfield lie in a crypt beneath the memorial, along with the ashes of their daughter and son-in-law,[3] (Mary "Mollie" Garfield Stanley-Brown (1867–1947) and Joseph Stanley Brown).

The tomb was designed by architect George Keller, with reliefs depicting scenes from Garfield's life.[4] All the stone for the monument came from the quarries of the Cleveland Stone Company, and was quarried locally.[5] The exterior sculptures were done by Caspar Buberl. Its construction began in 1885, and it was dedicated on May 30, 1890. Its cost, $135,000 ($3,800,000 in 2019 dollars), was funded entirely through private donations.[6] The round tower is 50 feet (15 m) in diameter and 180 feet (55 m) high.[3] Around the exterior of the balcony are five terra cotta panels with over 110 life size figures depicting Garfield's life and death.[7] The interior features stained glass windows and window like panes representing the original 13 colonies, plus the state of Ohio, along with panels depicting War and Peace;[7] mosaics; deep red granite columns; and a 12-foot (3.7 m)-tall white Carrara marble statue of President Garfield by Alexander Doyle. An observation deck provides views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie. The monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

It is open to the public daily from April 1 through November 19 from 9am to 4pm.[8]

  • President and Mrs. Garfield's caskets at the memorial
  • Statue of President Garfield at memorial

Notes and references
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Gibbons, Thomas (April 2012). "Our Presidents". Cleveland Visitor. Independence OH: City Visitor Communications.
  3. "Garfield Monument". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. 1998-03-27. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
  4. Foster, Ellsworth D.; Hughes, James Laughlin (1922). The American Educator. Ralph Durham Company. p. 853.
  5. "Marion. Ohio's Gem—A Forest Villag". The Plain Dealer. August 15, 1886. p. 5.
  6. Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1906). "Garfield Monument" . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
  7. Glaser, Susan (13 July 2016). "James A. Garfield tour of Northeast Ohio, from log cabin to Lawnfield to Lake View Cemetery". cleveland.com. AdvanceOhio. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  8. "James A. Garfield Monument". Lake View Cemetery. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2011-01-12.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.