Washington Monument
Later history
At the time of its construction it was the tallest building in the world. It is still the tallest building in Washington D.C., and due to a 1910 law restricting new buildings' height to be no more than 20 feet (6 m) greater than the width of the street they're on, probably always will be (there is a popular misconception that the law specifies that no building may be taller than the Washington Monument, but in fact the law makes no mention of it). Ordinary antique obelisks were seldom taller than around 100 feet (30 m), making this monument vastly taller than the obelisks around the capitals of Europe and in Egypt.
The Washington Monument drew enormous crowds even before it officially opened. During the six months that followed its dedication, 10,041 people climbed the 893 steps to the top. After the elevator that had been used to raise building materials was altered so that it could carry passengers, the number of visitors grew rapidly. As early as 1888, an average of 55,000 people a month went to the top, and today the Washington Monument has more than 800,000 visitors each year. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the national memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
For ten hours in December of 1982, the Washington Monument was “held hostage” by a nuclear arms protester, Norman Mayer, claiming to have explosives in a van he drove up to the Monument's base. Eight tourists trapped in the Monument at the time the standoff began were set free, and the incident ended with U.S. Park Police opening fire on Mayer and killing him. The Monument was undamaged in the incident, and it turned out that Mayer never had explosives.
On July 4, 2005, a $15 million security and landscaping enhancement project was completed. The design, an innovative and subtle series of concentric circles 30 in (0.76 m) high, is designed to make it impossible to drive up to the monument, though approaching on foot or on bicycle should be unimpeded. In addition to the security upgrade, the construction, which required the monument to be closed starting in September 2004, also included an upgrade to the external lighting of the monument.
The Monument was evacuated on October 7, 2005, after a bomb threat was called in, although a search turned up nothing worrisome. A second bomb threat was called in on October 13, 2005; here, again, nothing suspicious was found.
Construction details
The completed monument stands 555 ft 5½ in (169.29 m) tall, with the following construction materials and details:
Phase One (1848 to 1858):
• To the 152 foot (46 m) level, under the direction of Superintendent William Daugherty.
• Exterior: White marble from Texas, Maryland (adjacent to and east of north I-83 near the Warren Road exit in Cockeysville)
• Exterior: White marble, four courses or rows, from Sheffield, Massachusetts
Phase Two (1878 to 1888):
• Work completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, commanded by Lt. Col. Thomas L. Casey.
• Exterior: White marble from another Cockeysville quarry
• Interior: Granite from Maine
Cap is made from aluminum, at the time a rare metal, valued about the same as silver. The cap was forged by William Frishmuth and a detailed history was printed in JOM.
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