Washington Monument

Washington, D.C., United States

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Admission: Ticketed
Wheelchair access: Accessible

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The Washington Monument is a 555-foot Egyptian Revival obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, the nation's first president. Designed by Robert Mills, construction began in 1848 but was suspended from 1854 to 1877 due to funding challenges, organizational disputes, and the Civil War. The stone structure was completed in 1884, with internal ironwork finished in 1888. Made of bluestone gneiss for the foundation and granite for the main structure, the exterior facing consists of three different kinds of white marble, a visible record of the construction interruptions. The hollow obelisk comprises a 500-foot column topped by a 55-foot pyramidion capped with marble and crowned by a small aluminum pyramid. Its tapered walls are supported by six internal arches and contain iron spiral stairs with an elevator. The monument was dedicated in February 1885 and opened to the public in October 1888, becoming the world's tallest structure from 1884 until the Eiffel Tower's completion in 1889.

Architect

Thomas Lincoln Casey, Sr.United States Army Corps of Engineers Robert Mills

Movement

Egyptian Revival architecture

Built: 1848
Type: obelisk, National Memorial of the United States
Materials: catlinite, wrought iron, petrified wood, soapstone
Heritage: District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites, Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
Height: 169.046 m
Place: Washington, D.C., United States

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Location

38.88947, -77.03524