The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument was designed by Robert Mills in 1838, to follow the form of an Egyptian obelisk. It rises 555 feet and 1/8 inch above the city and is the largest masonry structure in the world.

The idea to build a monument for the first president of United States began in 1783 when Congress passed a resolution approving an equestrian statue of George Washington. In 1791 architect Pierre L'Enfant included a site for the statue near the present location of the monument in his plans for the federal city. Washington, however, objected to the idea. After Washington's death in 1799, plans for a memorial were discussed but none was adopted until 1832, when the private Washington National Monument Society was formed. Its activity brought gifts of money as well as blocks of stone from each state, some foreign governments, and private individuals. These “tribute blocks” carry inscriptions on the inside walls of the monument.

The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 and was not completed until 1884, due to lack of funds and the intervention of the Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble can be seen approximately 150 feet up. It was not until 1876 that Congress took over the project and provided money for the monument. The base, entirely different from Mills's design, was completed in 1880; the aluminum top was positioned in 1884; and the monument was opened to the public in 1888. The top may be reached by elevator; public access by the stairs is no longer permitted. The monument underwent renovation from 1997 to 2000.