Washington Monument, District of Columbia (DC), United States

Facts & Statistics
Place Name	Washington Monument
Place Status (Type)	national monument
Location	Washington, D.C., District of Columbia (DC), United States, North America
Latitude	unknown
Longitude	unknown

Washington Monument , hollow shaft, located on a 106 acres/43 ha site at the W end of the Mall, Washington (WA), D.C.; 555 ft, 5⅛ in/169.3 m high. Dedicated 1885. In 1783, Congress passed a resolution approving an equestrian statue of George Washington, and in 1791 architect Pierre L'Enfant included a site for the statue near the present location of the monument in his plans for the Federal city. However, Washington (WA) objected to the idea. After Washington's death in 1799, plans for a memorial were discussed but none were adopted until 1832, when the private Wash. Natl. Monument Society was formed. Its activity brought gifts of money, as well as blocks of stone from each state, some foreign governments, and private individuals. These “tribute blocks” carry inscriptions on the inside walls of the monument. Architect Robert Mills's elaborate Gr. temple design was accepted for the monument, and on July 4, 1848, the cornerstone was laid. Work on the project was interrupted by political quarreling in the 1850s; by the Civil War, funds became scarce. It was not until 1876 that Congress took over the project and appropriated money for the monument. The base, entirely different from Mills's design, was completed in 1880; the aluminum top was positioned in 1884; and the monument was opened to the public in 1888. The top may be reached by stairs or elevator.