Amiable Child Monument
Encyclopedia
The Amiable Child Monument is a monument located in New York City's Riverside Park
. It stands west of the southbound lanes of Riverside Drive
north of 122nd Street.
It is a monument to a small boy who died in what was then an area of country homes near New York City. One side of the monument reads: “Erected to the Memory of an Amiable Child, St. Claire Pollock, Died 15 July 1797 in the Fifth Year of His Age.” The monument is composed of a granite urn on a granite pedestal inside a wrought iron fence. It is across the street from Grant's Tomb
. The monument, originally erected by George Pollock, who was either the boy's father or his uncle, has been replaced twice due to deterioration. The present marker was placed on the site in 1967 to replace a marble marker installed by the city in 1897.
During Morningside’s Golden Age, when the nearby Claremont Inn served luminaries that included George M. Cohen, Cole Porter
, Lillian Russell
and Mayor Jimmy Walker
, the site inspired pilgrimages and poetry. Of the many verses written about the memorial is Herman George Scheffauer’s “An Amiable Child,” which describes the grave as being “like a song of peace in iron frays.” An identically-named poem by Anna Markham, wife of proletarian author and critic Edwin Markham
, opens with the lines that defined the monument for her contemporaries: “At Riverside, on the slow hill-slant / Two memoried graves are seen / A granite dome is over Grant / and over a child the green.” The monument is also the inspiration for Irene Marcuse
's novel Death of an Amiable Child.
By one late nineteenth century account, as related by Donald Reynolds, an attempt to relocate the grave in order to clear space for General Grant’s tomb, which was quickly abandoned by the city after a groundswell of public opposition, transformed the “tribute to the gentleness that underlies the apparent brutality of the great city” into “almost a national institution”.
The monument is thought to be the only single-person private grave on city-owned land in New York City.
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
. It stands west of the southbound lanes of Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive
A number of cities around the world have a Riverside Drive.In the United States:*Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive *Riverside Drive...
north of 122nd Street.
It is a monument to a small boy who died in what was then an area of country homes near New York City. One side of the monument reads: “Erected to the Memory of an Amiable Child, St. Claire Pollock, Died 15 July 1797 in the Fifth Year of His Age.” The monument is composed of a granite urn on a granite pedestal inside a wrought iron fence. It is across the street from Grant's Tomb
Grant's Tomb
General Grant National Memorial , better known as Grant's Tomb, is a mausoleum containing the bodies of Ulysses S. Grant , American Civil War General and 18th President of the United States, and his wife, Julia Dent Grant...
. The monument, originally erected by George Pollock, who was either the boy's father or his uncle, has been replaced twice due to deterioration. The present marker was placed on the site in 1967 to replace a marble marker installed by the city in 1897.
During Morningside’s Golden Age, when the nearby Claremont Inn served luminaries that included George M. Cohen, Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, Lillian Russell
Lillian Russell
Lillian Russell was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th century and early 20th century, known for her beauty and style, as well as for her voice and stage presence.Russell was born in Iowa but raised in Chicago...
and Mayor Jimmy Walker
Jimmy Walker
James John Walker, often known as Jimmy Walker and colloquially as Beau James , was the mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932...
, the site inspired pilgrimages and poetry. Of the many verses written about the memorial is Herman George Scheffauer’s “An Amiable Child,” which describes the grave as being “like a song of peace in iron frays.” An identically-named poem by Anna Markham, wife of proletarian author and critic Edwin Markham
Edwin Markham
Charles Edwin Anson Markham was an American poet. From 1923 to 1931 he was Poet Laureate of Oregon.-Life:Edwin Markham was born in Oregon City, Oregon and was the youngest of 10 children; his parents divorced shortly after his birth...
, opens with the lines that defined the monument for her contemporaries: “At Riverside, on the slow hill-slant / Two memoried graves are seen / A granite dome is over Grant / and over a child the green.” The monument is also the inspiration for Irene Marcuse
Irene Marcuse
Irene Marcuse is an American writer.Marcuse is the author of many mystery novels.She is the granddaughter of social philosopher Herbert Marcuse.She holds a BA in Literature and Creative Writing and an MSW in social work from Columbia University.-Books:...
's novel Death of an Amiable Child.
By one late nineteenth century account, as related by Donald Reynolds, an attempt to relocate the grave in order to clear space for General Grant’s tomb, which was quickly abandoned by the city after a groundswell of public opposition, transformed the “tribute to the gentleness that underlies the apparent brutality of the great city” into “almost a national institution”.
The monument is thought to be the only single-person private grave on city-owned land in New York City.