Washington Monument: The flagship memorial to America's Father
Both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, the Washington Monument for 125 years has served as the primary memorial to America’s Founding Father and first president.
Standing at 555 feet five and a half inches – the tallest structure in the District of Columbia – the Washington Monument was started in 1848 but due to various political obstacles, including the Civil War, was not finished until 1884. The delay is physically evident. The monument exhibits two shades of quarry stone – the original stone could not be found when construction on the structure resumed in 1879 after a 25-year hiatus.
Upon completion, it was heralded as the world's tallest building, a designation previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The memorial retained this label until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower in Paris was finished. The monument is located along the National Mall, west of the U.S. Capitol and the Smithsonian Institution buildings.
The Washington Monument remains the tallest building in Washington, D.C.; the Heights of Buildings Act of 1910 and subsequent amendments effectively restrict new building height to no higher than the height of the U.S. Capitol.
Today the Washington Monument is host to more than 800,000 annual visitors. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oct. 15, 1966. The stairs are no longer open to the public due to safety issues and vandalism of the interior memorial plaques.
Monument admission is free but requires a ticket. The Washington Monument Lodge, located next door along 15th Street, opens at 8:30 a.m. for distribution of free, same-day, timed tickets on a first come first served basis.
During the spring and summer, tickets run out quickly and the line for tickets forms as early as 7:00 a.m. You can reserve tickets on by visiting the National Park Service ticket website or calling 877-444-6777. There is a $1.50 service charge per ticket. These tickets are picked up at the “will call” window of the Washington Monument Lodge on the day of your tour.
- by Jim Brown , Washington Reporter for HelloMetro
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Jim Brown Jim Brown is a longtime freelance aviation, travel and destination writer and communications professional. A former reporter for Aviation Daily, Air Safety Week and World Airline News, Jim served for more than 15 years as a senior public relations executive for American Airlines, TWA and AirTran Airways.
