James A. Garfield Monument

James A. Garfield Monument. The James A. Garfield Monument is a mausoleum dedicated to the 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield, and his wife, Lucretia Garfield, located in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio. The monument was designed by George Keller and features a mix of Romanesque architecture and Gothic Revival architecture styles, with influences from Renaissance architecture and Classical architecture. The monument is also the final resting place of James Rudolph Garfield, Harry August Garfield, and other members of the Garfield family, including Eliza Ballou Garfield and Abram Garfield.

● History

The James A. Garfield Monument was constructed between 1885 and 1890, with a total cost of around $200,000, which is approximately $5 million in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database. The monument was built using granite and marble from Georgia and Italy, with a design inspired by the Pantheon (Rome) and the Tomb of Napoleon at the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris. The construction of the monument was overseen by the Garfield National Memorial Association, which was established by Congress in 1881, with the support of Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, and other prominent Republican leaders, including John Sherman and William McKinley. The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1890, in a ceremony attended by President Benjamin Harrison, John Philip Sousa, and other notable figures, including Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell.

● Design_and_Architecture

The James A. Garfield Monument features a unique blend of Romanesque architecture and Gothic Revival architecture styles, with a dome-shaped roof and a crypt below, inspired by the designs of Frank Furness and Henry Hobson Richardson. The monument's exterior is made of granite from Georgia, while the interior features marble from Italy and stained glass windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge. The monument's design was influenced by the works of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Stanford White, and other prominent architects and artists of the time, including Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. The monument's interior also features a number of sculptures and busts of James A. Garfield and other notable figures, including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee, created by sculptors such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Daniel Chester French.

● Location_and_Surroundings

The James A. Garfield Monument is located in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, which is also the final resting place of John D. Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna, and other notable figures, including Eliot Ness and Alan Freed. The cemetery is situated on a hill overlooking Lake Erie and the Cleveland skyline, with views of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The monument is surrounded by a number of other notable mausoleums and graves, including those of President James A. Garfield's family members and associates, such as Harry August Garfield and James Rudolph Garfield. The cemetery is also home to a number of war memorials and monuments, including the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and the Spanish-American War Memorial, designed by architects such as McKim, Mead & White and Cass Gilbert.

● Significance_and_Legacy

The James A. Garfield Monument is significant not only as the final resting place of James A. Garfield, but also as a symbol of his legacy and impact on American history. The monument has been designated as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with other notable landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Lincoln Memorial. The monument has also been recognized by the American Institute of Architects and the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the most important and influential monuments in the United States, along with other notable monuments such as the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. The monument continues to be an important tourist attraction and historical landmark in Cleveland, attracting visitors from around the world, including historians such as Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, and politicians such as Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

● Restoration_and_Preservation

The James A. Garfield Monument has undergone several restoration and preservation projects over the years, including a major renovation in the 1990s, which was funded by the National Park Service and the Garfield National Memorial Association. The project involved the repair and replacement of the monument's stained glass windows, as well as the restoration of the marble and granite exterior, using techniques and materials approved by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) and the Getty Conservation Institute. The monument is currently maintained by the Lake View Cemetery Foundation, which works to preserve and protect the monument and its surroundings, in partnership with organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund. The foundation also offers tours and educational programs to promote the history and significance of the monument, in collaboration with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress.