On April 24, 2026, the Grant Monument Association sent an urgent letter to President Donald Trump, key congressional committee chairs, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani documenting a severe and worsening state of disrepair at Grant’s Tomb and calling for immediate corrective action. (Click here to read the letter.)
This follows an earlier appeal sent in March 2019. Despite that warning, none of the requested measures to reverse the site’s disrepair have been enacted, and the water damage documented in 2019—then visible as discoloration and peeling at the cupola/roof level extending to the ceilings above the reliquary rooms—has grown substantially worse, with discoloration and falling plaster far more severe today. By deferring repairs to both the deteriorating interior surfaces and the underlying roof damage, the government has allowed the site to become more compromised and costlier to restore than if it had acted promptly.
Beyond the water damage, the letter details findings recently documented by a former National Park Service (NPS) employee, including lead-positive peeling paint, visible mold in the interior stairwell, possible asbestos and contaminated water, and an absence of functioning heating, air conditioning, or air filtration inside the Tomb. The letter also provides examples of how extreme budgetary parsimony has hampered basic site operations.
In the year of America’s 250th birthday, this state of affairs is particularly disgraceful at the final resting place of a hero responsible for the U.S.A.’s very survival. It is also a violation of the NPS’s statutory obligation “to conserve . . . historic objects” in national parks and to “leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
The Grant Monument Association has asked the President and members of Congress to take the following corrective action:
- Repair and prevent further water damage and discoloration, which is especially severe at the cupola/roof level but extends down the stairwell to the main level and in other areas, including the ceilings above the reliquary rooms.
- Remove safety hazards presented by lead-positive peeling paint, mold, and loose debris, along with possible asbestos and contaminated water.
- Repair and, where necessary, replace the broken, cracked outdoor plaza and stairways.
- Increase security around Grant’s Tomb with round-the-clock Army guards or Park Police.
- Repair the heating, air conditioning, and air filtration systems.
- Expand the boundaries of the national park to include the surrounding plazas, overlook pavilion, temporary tomb memorial, and new visitor center site.
- Install enhanced outdoor lighting to properly illuminate the monument at night and improve security.
- Expand the open hours of the site to seven days a week, and ensure adequate staffing during open hours.
- Complete the monument with a crowning finial and an equestrian statue in the front plaza.
- Build expanded or new visitor center with space for improved interactive exhibits, adequate restrooms, and access for persons with disabilities.
- Redesignate the monument as Grant’s Tomb National Monument, adopting its most familiar and original name.
- Authorize a commemorative coin marking the posthumous promotion of General Grant to General of the Armies of the United States, with proceeds to go toward maintenance of Grant’s Tomb.
Please write your senators and House members in Washington. Ask them to introduce or cosponsor legislation in support of these goals.
Thank you for your support!