Ulysses S. Grant Statue, Saint Louis

The Ulysses S. Grant Statue is the oldest surviving public monument in downtown St. Louis. Dedicated on October 20, 1888, it honors General Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil War commander who later became the 18th president of the United States. Created by local sculptor Robert Porter Bringhurst, regarded as the first professional sculptor to reside in St. Louis, the bronze monument was the first large-scale civic memorial to Grant erected in a major American city.

It was commissioned by the Grant Monument Association of Missouri shortly after the president's death in 1885. The statue portrays Grant in a moment of calm resolve, wearing his Civil War military uniform. A detailed bronze relief on the front of the granite pedestal depicts the Battle of Lookout Mountain, one of the key Union victories during the Chattanooga Campaign. Originally installed at the intersection of 12th Street (now Tucker Boulevard) and Olive Street, the monument was moved to the south entrance of City Hall in 1898. After Union veterans argued that the location gave the memorial insufficient prominence, a campaign led by the Grand Army of the Republic resulted in another relocation. In 1921, the statue was placed in its present location overlooking the surrounding civic plaza.

Today, the monument serves as a reminder of Grant's close ties to the St. Louis region, where he met his wife, Julia Dent, worked as a real estate agent and customs clerk, and farmed the nearby property now known as Grant's Farm. Visitors exploring the civic center can admire the statue's craftsmanship while learning about Grant's military career, presidency, and lasting connection to the area.