Washington Monument Dedicated
The Washington Monument, an iconic obelisk located in Washington, D.C., was dedicated on February 21, 1885, after nearly a century of planning and construction. Originally proposed by Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791, the monument serves as a tribute to George Washington, the first president of the United States. Its site, chosen by Washington himself, was initially envisioned as a memorial for the "unknown soldier" of the American Revolution. The project gained momentum in the 1830s, with the establishment of the Washington National Monument Society, which raised funds and selected architect Robert Mills to design the structure.
Construction began with the laying of the cornerstone in 1848 but faced numerous delays due to funding issues and the Civil War. The monument ultimately stands 555 feet and 5 inches tall, featuring a white marble shaft and surrounded by a reflecting pool and 50 American flags, representing each state. The dedication ceremony was attended by notable figures, including Robert C. Winthrop, who had previously spoken at the cornerstone's laying. The total cost of the monument's construction is estimated to have been between $1.2 million and $1.3 million. Today, the Washington Monument remains a significant symbol of American history and national pride.
Washington Monument Dedicated
Washington Monument Dedicated
By the time the stark white obelisk called the Washington Monument was finally dedicated in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, February 21, 1885, nearly 100 years had gone into the planning and execution of a fitting memorial to the first president in the nation's capital. The monument was first suggested by Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, when he submitted the master plan for the new city of Washington, D.C., in 1791.
The Washington Monument sits on a small hill, mirrored in a reflecting pool and ringed by 50 American flags, one for each state. It is the centerpiece of a north-south view that stretches from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial, and of an even more compelling east-west vista extending from the domed Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. Washington himself had selected the same site for a monument, but he had seen it as a memorial to the “unknown soldier” of the American Revolution, not to himself.
The idea of a monument in honor of the first president was proposed to Congress within a week after Washington's death in 1799. The generally sympathetic legislators looked at designs but took no action for many years. Finally, a speech by Henry Clay helped spur action, and a private organization, the Washington National Monument Society, was established in 1832 with the purpose of raising funds for the project. Over 15 years the society obtained some $87,000 and selected Robert Mills as architect of the proposed monument.
Remembered today as the United States' first native-born professional architect and the creator of such Washington landmarks as the Post Office, Treasury building, and former Patent Office (later the Fine Arts and Portrait Galleries), Mills planned a granite shaft faced with white marble. Although the finished monument was slightly lower than in Mills's original plan (it stands 555 feet, 5 inches instead of 600 feet), its other dimensions (55 feet square at the base and 34 feet square at the top) are close to his original specifications. However, the ornate base proposed by Mills was eliminated, some believe fortunately, from the austerely handsome final result.
Building the Washington Monument took almost as long as planning it. The site admired by L'Enfant and Washington was selected, and the cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848. Robert C. Winthrop, speaker of the House of Representatives, delivered a dedication speech. During the first stage of construction, the monument rose to just over 150 feet, a so-called “high-water mark” still visible today. Work had to be abandoned in 1854, as the Monument Society's funds had been exhausted and an appeal for more money had met with no response. The Civil War further delayed completion.
Finally, in 1876, Congress appropriated funds and set the Army Corps of Engineers to work to complete the project in marble that didn't quite match the original stone in color. Construction was finished on December 6, 1884, when the capstone was put in place. Arrangements were made by Congress for the dedication of the completed obelisk, and on Saturday, February 21, 1885, ceremonies were held at the monument's base and in the House of Representatives. The speaker for the occasion was the same Robert C. Winthrop who had spoken at the laying of the cornerstone 37 years earlier. The total cost of completing the monument was estimated at between $1.2 million and $1.3 million.