Congress formally authorized the establishment and funding of the United States
Military Academy at West Point, New York. on 16 March 1802. The entire central
campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings,and
monuments. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson
River, 50 miles north of New York City. The campus is a popular tourist attraction complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States
Army.
The majority of the campus’s buildings are constructed from gray and black granite like the West Academic Building shown above.