Washington Monument
Explore the Wonders of the Washington Monument
History
The Washington Monument was created as a reminder of the greatness of the father of our country, George Washington. The building started by Robert Mills in 1848 through 1856, but completed in 1876 to 1884 by Thomas Casey. This is why the monument is two different shades of colors. At first, the designer wanted to built a statue of the President riding his horse, but they went with the Egyptian-shaped obelisk. The funding for the building at first was very low, but they ended up spending 1,187,710 dollars on it. Something one might not now about the reason that the architects chose that spot to built the monument was that the land was marshy and wet, so it was perfect.
Description of Place
The Washington monument was made of granite, and bluestone gneiss. It is world's tallest stone structure standing 555 feet 5 1⁄8 inches tall. Taller monumental columns exist, but they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.The Washington monument is 15 feet thick at its base and only 18 inches thick. at its top. Inserted into the interior walls are 193 memorial stones presented by individuals, societies, cities, States, and nations of the world. Attached to in independent iron framework, flights of 896 steps surround an elevator which takes visitors to the observation level, where they can gaze over the city from the monument's pyramidion windows.The monument stands due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial. It is 55 feet square at the base, 555 feet 5 inches high, and weighs an estimated 91,000 tons.
Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool
Rebuilding of Monument
After the earthquake on August 23, 2011, there were over 150 cracks in the building. It took Months to repair all of the damages.
Monument and Its Views
Why the Building is Important to Community
The Washington Monument has been through a lot and it is still standing today. On August 23, 2011, an earthquake occurred 84 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., damaging the monument with over 150 cracks. Also, during construction of the monument, there was the civil war, which did not let the construction workers go back to building the building for 23 years. On December 8, 1982, a 66 year old man threatened to destroy the monument with the 1,000 pounds of explosives he had in his truck. The building has been through so much, and yet, it is still here today. There are many reasons why the Washington monument is important, and the main reason is that the monument was built to commemorate the father of our country. It even has an exhibit celebrating the life of George Washington. The building also resembles how the Americans won independence from Great Britain under the command of General Washington. Starting with victory in the Revolution, there were many proposals to build a monument to Washington. After George Washington's death, Congress authorized a suitable memorial in the national capital.
Cited Websites
Tile of web page: Washington Monument
Name of website: Washingtonian Monument
Access date: November 7,2014
Copyright date: not found
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htmTitle of web page: National Park Service
Name of website: National Park Service
Access date: November 8,2014
copyright date: Not found
<http://www.nps.gov/wamo/historyculture/index.htm_>
Title of web page: The Washington Monument: Tribute in Stone
Name of website: National Park Service
Access date: November 8, 2014
Copyright date: None