Washington Monument

Unknown

  • Started during Polk’s presidency and ended during Cleveland

  • In 1833, a private organization known as the “Washington National Monument Society” started collecting funds and designs for a monument dedicated to Washington.

  • The designer of the layout of Washington D.C., Pierre Charles L’Enfant, also reserved a SPECIFIC AREA for a monument of George Washington.

  • In 1845 they settled on an obelisk designed by Robert Millis.

  • Construction started in 1848 and the cornerstone was laid on July 4th. 

  • From 1848-1854 the monument was built 156 feet above the ground but construction had to be paused because of the civil war and other stuff.

  • Why’d they stop? In 1853, the “Know-Nothing” party gained control of the society and people got scared. Many supporters left because the party was against their beliefs and it became bankrupt by 1854.

  • Robert Millis, the main architect, died in 1855 and for two decades the monument was only left half complete.

  • When the rebuilding after the Civil War started people started remembering the monument.

  • A joint resolution was passed on July 5, 1876 by Congress to build the Washington Monument.

  •  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, led by Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, was responsible for directing and completing the work.

  • Completed in 1884, it was the tallest building in the world at the time standing at 555 feet and 5.125 inches. It kept the title until 1889 when the Eiffel Tower was built. It is still the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk.

  • The monument is made of bluestone gneiss for the foundation and of granite for the construction.

  • The cornerstone contains a time capsule filled with items like a copy of the Constitution, coins, and newspapers from the era.

  • The interior walls feature 193 commemorative stones gifted by states, cities, and organizations, including one from the Pope, another from the Cherokee Nation, and even one from Japan.

  • Changes color 1/3 of the way up because the original building project ran out of money and 20 years later when the building resumed, they used a different quarry for the stone. Originally the stones looked more similar, but through the years they’ve worn down differently, thus giving the different hues.

  • There’s a 12 foot tall replica hidden under a manhole, in the adjacent field