National Park Service and City Parks to host reopening of restored Overlook Pavilion at Grant's Tomb on Grant’s Birthday

On the day when the National Park Service (NPS) will observe
Ulysses S. Grant’s 189th birthday, the NPS and the NYC Department of Parks
& Recreation (DPR) will welcome visitors to the newly restored Overlook
Pavilion in Riverside Park.

The pavilion sits on one of the highest points of elevation overlooking the
Hudson River, and was opened in 1910 as a “comfort station” opposite
Grant’s Tomb. In the 1970s DPR was forced to close the pavilion, and
although it remained off-limits to the public its structure was left
intact.

In 2004, the City of New York granted NPS a permanent easement on the site
so the agency could rehabilitate the pavilion to preserve the exterior as
it appeared in 1910 while turning the interior into space that will serve
visitors to the national memorial. The newly restored pavilion will serve
as a NP ranger contact station, and include a public meeting space,
interpretive exhibits, bookstore and restrooms.



About General Grant National Monument
This memorial to Ulysses S. Grant, victorious Union commander of the Civil
War, includes the tomb of General Grant and his wife, Julia Dent Grant.
Following his death, approximately 90,000 people from around the country
and the world donated a total of more than $600,000 towards construction of
his tomb, the largest public fundraising effort ever at that time. Designed
by architect John Duncan, the granite and marble structure was completed in
1897 and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. www.nps.gov/gegr

How to Get There: General Grant National Memorial is located at 122nd
Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan. #1 trains stop at West 116th St.
Station at Broadway. Walk six blocks north, and two blocks west. To get
there by bus, take the M-5 route.