CLEVELAND — The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is a recognizable landmark in Cleveland’s Public Square, but this monument, considered a postcard of Cleveland’s history, is full of gems hiding in plain sight.
"The hidden gem is in the details, the details on the sides of the monument, the details on the inside of the statuary. So there's the inside. That's a hidden gem that people walk by. Never realize that there are doors that you can walk through with 9,000 names of the men that served during the civil war engraved on our walls,” said Greg Palumbo, executive director of the monument.
Shane Doyle, a senior caretaker of the monument, said there are still many people who don’t realize this landmark has been around for more than 120 years.
Watch this video for a deeper look at the hidden gems inside the monument:
The interior of the monument is filled with hidden gems. It’s a solemn place with beautiful artwork.
The monument was recently listed as one of our 100 hidden gems of Cleveland.
But what many don’t know about the monument is about the hidden gem underneath—the tunnels of the monument where the staff gives tours every year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, tours were halted, but the staff hopes to resume them in April 2022.
"We'll be able to get back to tunnel tours where we'll be able to welcome in quite a few people through our doors to see our tunnels. This is a place of reverence," said Palumbo.
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