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Washington Monument |
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Washington D.C. Sunrise |
The Washington Monument is located at the National Mall. It is surrounded by flagpoles, with each flag representing one state. Built to honor George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States, the Washington Monument was once the tallest building in the world at just over 555 feet. The monument to America’s first president still holds the title of world’s tallest stone structure and obelisk. More than 800,000 people visit the monument each year.
The monument was completed in 1884 by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Washington Monument was officially dedicated on February 21, 1885 and it first opened to the public on October 9, 1888. An elevator was added to the monument in 1889. |
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The trowel used to lay the cornerstone of the Monument was the same trowel used by George Washington to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol in 1793.
The Monument is built of free-standing masonry which means there is no cement holding the blocks together. Made of some 36,000 blocks of marble and granite stacked 555 feet in the air, the monument was the tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion in December 1884.
The shaft’s load-bearing masonry walls are 15 feet (4.6 metres) thick at its base, tapering to a thickness of only 18 inches (46 cm) at the top. Three different types of stones were used to build the Monument; including stones from Maryland (north of Baltimore) and Massachusetts. |
| The color of the marble changes at the 152 foot mark. Construction was halted due to a lack of funding; when construction started again they used marble from a different quarry. In the six months following the dedication ceremony, over 10,000 people climbed the nearly 900 steps to the top of the Washington Monument. It cost $1,200,000 to build the Monument in 1884 dollars which is equivalent to $52,000,000 in in 2019 dollars. |
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| Although it is free and open to the public, guests need to get tickets in order to tour the monument. Tickets can be reserved in advance of you can go to the Washington Monument Lodge on 15th Street adjacent to the Monument to pick them up. You’ll be given a specific time for your tour. The lodge is shown below. How To Get Tickets |
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Once upon a time, you could walk all 898 steps to the top of the Washington Monument. But no longer. Health concerns led the National Park Service to close the stairs entirely in 1976. The steps closed because too many people had heart attacks trying to climb up or hurt themselves falling down.
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Maintenance Workers Near The Top |
Set to re-open in August 2019, the Washington Monument has raised expectations for visitors with a new state-of-the-art elevator that will efficiently move thousands of visitors up to the observation deck daily. Part of what makes traveling up in the elevator so historic is that it offers a glimpse of the interior walls, which are lined with stones that commemorate George Washington, placed by states, civic groups and others. The modern system gives the National Park Service operators better control of the elevator with remote access from the ground.
Before experiencing the new elevator, visitors will encounter another improvement to traveling to the top of the Washington Monument – an upgraded security screening facility at the base of the structure. The new security structure can accommodate up to 20 visitors and has more modern screening equipment. |
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Yes, you can look out the windows at the top of the monument. |
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View From One Of The Windows |
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| Enjoy the Washington Monument year-round during the true four seasons weather. Spring in Washington D.C. is mild and temperate, especially during the popular Cherry Blossom Festival. Summer heats can and regularly reach the 90’s during the day, with lovely summer evenings often dropping into the 70’s. Winter in the nation’s capital is cold, but snow provides a beautiful backdrop for the sites along the National Mall. |
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