The Washington Monument: Other Perspectives

It is hard to take an outdoor picture in our nation’s capital without including the Washington Monument. After all, at 555 feet, it is (still) the tallest stone building in the world. The Great Pyramid at Giza is 481 feet tall. Until 1889 when the Eifel Tower was completed, it was the tallest structure of any kind in the world.

Through the Columns of the Lincoln Memorial (October, 1984)

Taken 34 years ago, it was a time when one could walk around 

the perimeter of the Lincoln Memorial on the main level. For

many years after that, the sides of the structure were closed 

to the public…which made it impossible to repeat this perspective.

There were proposals to build a monument to the ‘Father of Our Country’ even before his death in 1799. When the monument movement intensified in the 1830’s, elaborate designs were considered but a lack of money reduced the final plan to the obelisk we see today.

Begun in 1848, construction was suspended for 23 years for lack of funds and that messy little War Between the States.

Emerging from the Museum of Natural History (23 July 2015)

One day, I emerged from the National Gallery of Art 

and walked toward the Natural History Museum. The 

juxtaposition was too cute to resist and I had to take the shot.

The monument was dedicated in 1885 and open to the public on October 9, 1888. One can reach the observation deck by elevator or by climbing nearly 900 steps. I can confirm that the views out the tiny windows are less than breathtaking.

Reflected in the Viet Nam Wall (October, 1984)

The Viet Nam Memorial was only two years old when

I visited Washington. After all the controversies surrounding

its establishment, ‘The Wall’ was very popular and well 

on its way to becoming a shrine. The Washington 

Monument is reflected off the polished black granite.

While you western readers might have scoffed at the hubbub we generated after the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that happened in nearby Virginia on 23 August 2011, significant damage occurred to the monument. There were cracks, stone chips broken free and other issues to repair. Almost three years and $15 million later, the monument reopened to the public.

Between 1998 and 2000, extensive renovations were performed on the monument. In addition to cleaning and repairing elements and functions of the building, all the mortar filling the spaces between the marble blocks was renewed.

Under Renovation at Dusk (October, 1999)

I was living in Maryland by this time and probably brought the 

camera to a business meeting so I could shoot the Monument 

all lit up under scaffolding. Sometimes, they changed the colors 

of the lights to make the structure even more striking. 

Happy (Belated) Birthday, America.