Washington Monument

I have a whole whack of photos of the presidential monuments that surround the National Mall, which I will be doling out over the next few posts.

First up is the Washington Monument honouring George Washington, first President of the United States. He was in office from 1789 to 1797.

Made of marble, this obelisk stands at the mid-point of the National Mall, halfway between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Its construction was begun in 1848, but the Civil War and other squabbles interfered with its completion, and it wasn’t finished until 1884. For a few years, it held the record as the world’s tallest structure (it’s 555 feet high), until the Eiffel Tower overtook it. It still holds the record as the world’s tallest obelisk.

Normally you can go up inside the monument for what must be a nice view over DC, but an earthquake in 2011 damaged the structure, and it’s closed pending the necessary repairs. The scaffolding is scheduled to go up sometime this fall, but luckily I was able to take my photos sans scaffolding.

The Washington Monument doesn’t look like much in photographs, but when you get up close, it’s rather impressive.