The
Washington Monument is an
obelisk on the
National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General
George Washington. The monument, made of
marble,
granite, and
bluestone gneiss,
is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5+1⁄8 inches.
Taller monumental columns exist, but they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.
Construction of the monument began in 1848, but was halted from 1854 to 1877, and finally completed in 1884. The hiatus in construction happened because of co-option by the
Know Nothing party, a lack of funds, and the intervention of the
American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet or 27% up, shows where construction was halted. Its original design was by
Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s, but his design was modified significantly when construction resumed. The
cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the
capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885.
It 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. The monument stands due east of the
Reflecting Pool and the
Lincoln Memorial.