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Located at the western end of the National Mall, this four-sided stone
structure (modeled after a classic Egyptian obelisk) honors the first
president of the United States (1789-1797), George Washington.
At 555 feet high, it towers
over everything in Washington, DC and is one of the tallest masonry
structures in the world. Fifty flags surround the base of the Washington
Monument, symbolizing the 50 states of the Union. Take the elevator
to the top where windows in the observation room will offer superb views
of the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, the
World War II Veterans Memorial, and the Capitol building.
Robert
Mills, the architect and engineer to the federal government, designed this
monument in 1838. The actual construction didn’t begin until 1848 and was
not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death, due
to lack of funds and the intervention of the Civil War. A difference
in shading of the marble (visible approximately 150 feet up) clearly
delineates the initial construction from its resumption in 1876. It
is generally considered fortunate that the Greek Doric rotunda Mills
planned for the base of the monument was never built. |
