Washington Monument
| Washington Monument | |
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The Washington Monument in January 2006.
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| Location | National Mall, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′22.08920″N 77°2′6.92910″W / 38.8894692222°N 77.0352580833°WCoordinates: 38°53′22.08920″N 77°2′6.92910″W / 38.8894692222°N 77.0352580833°W |
| Area | 106.01 acres (42.90 ha) |
| Visitors | 671,031 (in 2008) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Washington Monument |
| Official name: Washington Monument | |
| Designated | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference no. | 66000035 |
 Location of Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
Location of Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
Location of Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
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The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first American president. Located almost due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, the monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, is both the world's tallest stone structure (excluding brick) and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 554 feet 7 11⁄32 inches (169.046 m) tall according to the National Geodetic Survey (measured 2013–14) or 555 feet 5 1⁄8 inches (169.294 m) tall according to the National Park Service (measured 1884). In 1975, a ramp covered a step at the entrance to the monument, so the ground next to the ramp was raised to match its height, reducing the remaining height to the monument's apex. The obelisk was originally intended by its designer to stand 600 feet (183 m) tall, but questions regarding the design of the foundation caused the height to be set lower by the time the building was eventually completed. It is the tallest monumental column in the world if all are measured above their pedestrian entrances, but two are taller when measured above ground, though they are neither all stone nor true obelisks. The tallest masonry structure in the world is the Anaconda Smelter Stack in Montana at 585 feet (178 m).
Construction of the monument began in 1848, and was halted from 1854 to 1877 due to a lack of funds, a struggle for control over the Washington National Monument Society, and the intervention of the American Civil War. Although the stone structure was completed in 1884, internal ironwork, the knoll, and other finishing touches were not completed until 1888. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m) or 27% up, shows where construction was halted and later resumed with marble from a different source. The original design was by Robert Mills, but he did not include his proposed colonnade due to a lack of funds, proceeding only with a bare obelisk. Despite many proposals to embellish the obelisk, only its original flat top was altered to a pointed marble pyramidion, in 1884. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the first stone was laid atop the unfinished stump on August 7, 1880; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884; the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885; and officially opened October 9, 1888. Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monument held this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, France.
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