Inside Grand Army Plaza's $8.9 Million Restoration (Photos)

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, NY — Grand Army Plaza is well on its way to a shiny new polish, with restoration underway on the arch and monument.

New photos from the Parks department's show its monument crew hard at work, scrubbing, washing and polishing the arch's Soldiers and Sailers monument under a massive tarp.

The restoration efforts, announced in May, were expected to cost the city $8.9 million and include a roof replacement, interior repairs, brick and stone cleaning and improved exterior lighting.

And it looks like the statue is getting a good polish and touch up.

Restoration was expected to last 12 months, reopening the arch to the public in spring 2024.

The arch's new polish was scheduled alongside landscaping improvements to the Grand Army Plaza park entrance including new plants and fencing, which was expected to be complete in Fall 2023.

The arch — a civil war monument to commemorate Union soldiers — went up at Prospect Park in 1889 and has not been restored since the 1990s.

"Prospect Park Alliance is excited to restore this landmark in all its glory so it can serve as a welcoming beacon and essential civic space for our community for generations to come," said Morgan Monaco, Prospect Park Alliance President, in May.