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WASHINGTON MONUMENT

Washington Monument is an obelisk- shaped building in Washington, D.C. that was built to honor the first President of the United States of America, George Washington.

This 555- foot- tall (169m), beautiful marble obelisk in the form of a big pencil is one of the tallest stone monuments in the world and the tallest building in the District of Columbia- by law, no other building in D. C. is allowed to be taller.

The monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone

In 1832 formed the Washington National Monument Society. This group had a design competition, and 1836, the architect Robert Mills obelisk design won the contest.

The cornerstone for the Monument was laid in 1848, but public controversy, lack of funds, and then the Civil War, delayed its completion for many years

After the Civil War, the foundation was not sufficient for the 600-foot-tall obelisk that was originally planned, so a 555-foot- monument was built.

The Washington Monument was finally opened to the public in 1888.

The giant obelisk contains 36,491 blocks and weighs 90,854 tons. The width at the base of the monument is 55 feet (165 m.), thickness of the monument walls at the base is 15 feet or 4.57 meters.

Inside the Washington Monument are an elevator and a 897-step stairway. There is an observation deck at the height of 500 feet.

At the top of the monument there is a nine-inch tall aluminum pyramid (when the monument was built, aluminum was newly- discovered, scarce, and very expensive). Lightning rods at the top protect the monument from lightning strikes.

restoration in 1999

Crack in a stone at the top of the monument after the 2011 Virginia earthquake

Repairing the Washington Monument, 2013