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Top 10 Facts about the Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is a massive column within the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

It was built to celebrate George Washington, who was not only the first president of the United States but also the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The monument is on the far east end of the reflecting pool and the Lincoln Memorial. This pillar is made of marble, granite and bluestone gneiss. 

It’s the tallest building in Washington, D.C. It was closed for renovations and was reopened in 2019. The new elevator takes you to the top for the best panoramic views of the nation鈥檚 capital.

Here are the top 10 facts about this monument that will be useful during your next trip to the capital.

1. The Washington Monument is the tallest column in the world

By Alvesgaspar – Wikimedia

This monument made of predominantly stone stands at 554 feet and 7 inches.  

It is the tallest column in the world when measured above their pedestrian entrances. This means that it has overtaken the Cologne Cathedral, which was the tallest structure in the world between 1884 and 1889.

The Eiffel Tower in 麻豆APP took the crown later on in 1889.

2. Different coloured marbles were used to construct the Washington Monument

If you look closely you will notice that the colour of the marble on the monument are different. The colour changes at the 152-foot mark.

This came about when the construction of the monument was stopped due to a lack of funds.

When they got funds to continue, the architects got marble from a different quarry. The original quarry had been shut down.

They used granite from Maryland and Massachusetts. After the masons placed a few layers of stone, they noticed that it was a different colour and of poorer quality than the original.

So, they brought in stone from another Baltimore quarry, which was used to finish the final two-thirds of the obelisk.

The result is that the Washington Monument is nearly white on the bottom, a tannish-pink on the top with a thin belt of light brown in the middle.

3. Three future American presidents watched the groundbreaking ceremony of the Washington Monument

Photo sourced from Wikimedia

About 50 years after Washington鈥檚 death, the cornerstone for this monument was laid. The stone was surrounded by a box including a portrait of George Washington, a Bible, a map of the city, and a copy of the US Constitution.

On it was the inscription 鈥�4th July 1848. This Corner-Stone Laid of a Monument, by the People of the United States, to the Memory of George Washington.鈥�

There were more than 20,000 people who witnessed the laying of the cornerstone, among them were James Buchanan, the 15^th president, Abraham Lincoln the 16^th president, and Andrew Johnson the 17^th president of the United States.

4. The Monument was damaged by an earthquake in 2011

Crack in a stone at the top of the monument By National Park Service – Wikimedia

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake left a massive crack on the Washington Monument in 2011.

There were other 150 cracks found on the monument. This led to the closure of the monument due to safety concerns for the public. 

A block in the pyramidion also was partially dislodged, and pieces of stone, stone chips, mortar, and paint chips came free of the monument.

The architects commissioned to repair the monument had previously worked on historic buildings.

5. The Washington Monument was completed after 40 years

By Ingfbruno – Wikimedia

This monument served as a cattle slaughter yard after the civil war before the government of the day took over it. For about 22 years, there was no construction work at the monument.

Congress took time to decide where the monument would be built, its form and if it was a worthy cause.

In 1848, the foundation of the monument was laid. Its design seemed to be simple, but the execution was not. The architect, Robert Mills, faced several challenges while working on the project.

There were ideological conflicts, lapses in funding, and disruptions during the Civil War. The construction was completed in 1885 and opened to the public in 1887.

6. Construction of the Monument was costly

It cost more than they anticipated, the Washington Monument Society solicited donations for a decade.

Society had a difficult time raising sufficient funds to build Robert Mill’s elaborate design.

The lack of funds made the construction stall, the Washington Monument Society’s administration separated from its donors which led to bankruptcy in 1855.

This monument was left unfinished for more than two decades.

7. The Washington Monument unites America

By Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -Wikimedia

there are 50 American flags that continuously fly around the obelisk鈥檚 base.

Set inside the east and west interior walls are nearly 200 memorial stones. The states are represented by a memorial stone along with cities, foreign countries, organizations, and individuals.

8. The monument is not the original design

Before the Washington monument society settled on building an obelisk, there were several other ideas suggested.

They wanted something that would represent George Washington鈥檚 magnificence.

Some of the suggestions included an equestrian statue of the first president, a separate statue situated atop a classical Greek column, and a tomb constructed within the Capitol building.

His family however refused to move his body from its resting place in Mount Vernon.

The architect鈥檚 design included a tower surrounded by a circular colonnade and a statue of the president seated atop a chariot.

He also intended to include a winged sun above the doorframe of the entrance of the monument. The sun was removed in 1885.

9. There are objects buried in the Washington Monument

Photo sourced from Wikimedia

There are objects hidden in the cornerstone. This is a common practice.

A box in the cornerstone, from 1848, contains newspapers, maps, money, letters from politicians and the coat of arms of George Washington鈥檚 family.

Other items in the zinc box were copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are a map of the city of Washington, publications of Census data, a book of poems, a collection of American coins, a list of Supreme Court justices, and a Bible.

10. A man threatened to blow up the Washington Monument

In December 1982, Norman Mayer drove up to the monument in a van he claimed was full of explosives.

He threatened to blow up the monument if his demands were not met. There were tourists at the monument.

Mayer was shot after a 10-hour standoff. There were no explosives found in his van.