The color line on the Washington Monument is a visible reminder that even the most popular monuments and memorials on the Mall are often born in controversy. The Washington Monument was the first monument built on the National Mall. The Washington National Monument Society was established in as a private company responsible for raising money to build the monument.
The original design by Robert Mills featured an imposing obelisk sitting on an elaborate base decorated with patriotic symbols that looked like the Roman Pantheon. This design was modified leaving the obelisk that stands today. In , the Washington National Monument Society ran out of money 7 years after the cornerstone was laid. When the Vatican donated a stone, the Know Nothings, a conservative anti-Catholic political party, objected and stole the block.
Construction stopped in The structure was completed in two phases of construction, one private and one public 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.
The geometric layout of Washington, D. In , 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. Mills' design called for a foot Egyptian-style obelisk ringed by thirty 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 The cornerstone was laid on July 4 with upwards of 20, people in attendance including President James K.
Polk, Mrs. James Madison, Mrs. Builders commenced work on the blue gneiss foundation, an foot square step pyramid. With the substructure completed, the builders then proceeded to the above-ground marble structure, 55 feet, 1. By , the monument had reached a height of feet above ground, but a turn of events stalled construction. In , a new group aligned with the controversial Know-Nothing Party gained control of the Washington National Monument Society in the Society's periodic board election.
Having always struggled to gather funding, the Society's change in administration alienated donors and drove the Society to bankruptcy by Without funds, work on the monument slowed to a halt. Architect Robert Mills died in 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.
Only as the nation was rebuilding did attention once again turn toward honoring the man who had once united the states in a common purpose. By a joint resolution passed on July 5, , Congress assumed the duty of funding and building the Washington Monument. The U. Army Corps of Engineers, led by Lt. Construction wrapped up in , and the project was dedicated the following year. On December 8, , a year-old Navy veteran, Norman Mayer, drove his van to the base of the monument and threatened to blow up the structure with 1, pounds of dynamite he claimed to have inside his vehicle.
A group of tourists was trapped inside the monument for several hours before Mayer, who was trying to draw attention to his stance against nuclear weapons, let them leave. Meanwhile, thousands of workers from nearby buildings were evacuated, streets were shut down and air traffic in the area was diverted.
After an approximately hour standoff with law enforcement officials, Mayer attempted to drive away, but was shot and killed by police. When authorities later searched his van, no explosives were found. On August 23, , the monument was rocked by a rare, 5.
Although people were inside the monument when the quake hit, no one was seriously hurt. While the repairs are being made, the landmark has been enveloped in a ton scaffolding system wrapped in a blue, semi-transparent mesh.
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