Washington Monument George Washingtons military and political leadership were indispensable to the founding of the United States. As commander of the Continental Army, he rallied Americans from thirteen divergent states and outlasted Britains superior military force. As the first president, Washingtons superb leadership set the standard for each president that has succeeded him. The Washington Monument towers above the city that bears his name, serving as an awe-inspiring reminder of George Washingtons greatness. The monument, like the man, stands in no ones shadow. The Washington Monument, designed by Robert Mills and eventually completed by Thomas Casey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, honors and memorializes George Washington at the center of the nations capital. The structure was completed in two phases of construction, one private (1848-1854) and one public (1876-1884). Built in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, evoking the timelessness of ancient civilizations, the Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father. When completed, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world at 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches. Honoring the Father of his Country The geometric layout of Washington, D.C.s streets and green spaces, originally designed by Pierre LEnfant, reserved a prominent space for a monument to George Washington at the intersection of lines radiating south from the White House and west of the Capitol. In 1833, the Washington National Monument Society, a private organization, formed to fund and build a monument to the first president that would be unparalleled in the world. The Society solicited for donations and designs for a decade, settling on a design by Robert Mills in 1845. Mills design called for a 600-foot Egyptian-style obelisk ringed by thirty 100-foot columns. The design was audacious, ambitious, and expensive, creating numerous complications during its construction.Despite difficulties raising funds, construction began on the Washington Monument in 1848. The cornerstone was laid on July 4 with upwards of 20,000 people in attendance including President James K. Polk, Mrs. James Madison, Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, George Washington Parke Custis, and future presidents Buchanan, Lincoln, and Johnson. Builders commenced work on the blue gneiss foundation, an 80-foot square step pyramid. With the substructure completed, the builders then proceeded to the above-ground marble structure, 55 feet, 1.5 inches square at the base, using a system of pulleys, block and tackle systems, and a mounted derrick to hoist and place the stones, inching the structure skyward. By 1854, the monument had reached a height of 156 feet above ground, but a turn of events stalled construction.In 1853, a new group aligned with the controversial Know-Nothing Party gained control of the Washington National Monument Society in the Societys periodic board election. Having always struggled to gather funding, the Societys change in administration alienated donors and drove the Society to bankruptcy by 1854. Without funds, work on the monument slowed to a halt. Architect Robert Mills died in 1855. For more than two decades, the monument stood only partly finished, doing more to embarrass the nation than to honor its most important Founding Father. Congressional attempts to support the Washington National Monument Society failed as attentions turned toward the sectional crisis, then civil war. After the Earthquake At 1:51 p.m. on August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Visitors inside the Washington Monuments observation deck were thrown about by the force of the shaking; falling mortar and pieces of stone caused minor injuries, though all the people inside exited safely. Damage occurred throughout the metropolitan Washington area, but the Washington Monument was among the significantly damaged structures. Assessments of the building revealed cracks, spalls, and displacements of stones and joints throughout the building. The repair work ensures that all have the opportunity to ascend to the observation deck and to stand outside the shining obelisk and look up in wonder and amazement admiring the greatness of both the monument and the man whose memory it represents.At the dedication of the Washington Monument in 1885, a speech by then-elderly Robert Winthrop, who had attended the opening ceremony in 1848, was read by Rep. John D. Long of Massachusetts. He said of the Washington Monument, The storms of winter must blow and beat upon it ... the lightnings of Heaven may scar and blacken it. An earthquake may shake its foundations ... but the character which it commemorates and illustrates is secure.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:48:50 +0000
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