I have been thinking about either the World Trade Building in New York now non-existent or the Washington Monument.
I grew up in Washington D. C. and walk right past the Washington Monument many a day. I never tried to walk up all the stairs then to get to the top of this huge building. A few years ago they were doing renovating on the building I believe I was home then when the building had all these scaffolds all around it. Now it has a elevator to take visitors to the top of the mountain it must be some sight to see over all the city at that point and probably area's of Virginia and Maryland too. The Washington Monument is considered to be the tallest piece of free-standing masonry in the world. Patterned after ancient Egyptian obelisks many times larger though, it dominates the mall and much of downtown Washington DC.
This building attracts people from all over the world nearly 800,000 visitors yearly. It's location is between 15th and 17th streets NW. Washington D. C.
It is part of the National Capital Parks Central Region, responsible for preserving the most significant natural and cultural resources in the United States. (usparks.about.com/cs/natlparkbasics/a/washingtonmon.htm)
The Washington Monument was created as a memorial or tribute to George Washington as the first president of the United States. Washington did not want a Monument erected in his honor. After his death in 1799 the congress could not feasible come up with funding for this monument. It wasn't until 1833 when an organization founded the Washington National Monument Society
decided to fund the building of a monument in honor of the first President.
In 1836 American architects submitted designs for the structure and in 1845 Robert Mills' Neoclassical design was selected. It featured 500-foot Obelisk, a 10-foot Greek temple with colonnades, and statuary of Washington driving a chariot of Arabian horses. Due to the high cost envolved this design was rejected (thanks goodness), all but the Obelisk. In 1848 the cornerstone was laid on July 4th. It included a time capsule containing statistics on Washington DC, newspapers, coins, and currency, a Bible, and information on the Washington family. In 1854, the monument had reached a height of 153 feet, work was haulted due to lack of funding and some controversy over a stone given by the Pope of the Catholic church, Pope Pius IX. In 1876 congress appropriated funds for the completion of this project and the work was finished by the US Army Corps of Engineers in December of 1884. Standing as the world tallest building, the Washington Monument was dedicated in 1885 at a ceremony on the Mall.
This building attracts people from all over the world nearly 800,000 visitors yearly. It's location is between 15th and 17th streets NW. Washington D. C.
It is part of the National Capital Parks Central Region, responsible for preserving the most significant natural and cultural resources in the United States. (usparks.about.com/cs/natlparkbasics/a/washingtonmon.htm)
The Washington Monument was created as a memorial or tribute to George Washington as the first president of the United States. Washington did not want a Monument erected in his honor. After his death in 1799 the congress could not feasible come up with funding for this monument. It wasn't until 1833 when an organization founded the Washington National Monument Society
decided to fund the building of a monument in honor of the first President.
In 1836 American architects submitted designs for the structure and in 1845 Robert Mills' Neoclassical design was selected. It featured 500-foot Obelisk, a 10-foot Greek temple with colonnades, and statuary of Washington driving a chariot of Arabian horses. Due to the high cost envolved this design was rejected (thanks goodness), all but the Obelisk. In 1848 the cornerstone was laid on July 4th. It included a time capsule containing statistics on Washington DC, newspapers, coins, and currency, a Bible, and information on the Washington family. In 1854, the monument had reached a height of 153 feet, work was haulted due to lack of funding and some controversy over a stone given by the Pope of the Catholic church, Pope Pius IX. In 1876 congress appropriated funds for the completion of this project and the work was finished by the US Army Corps of Engineers in December of 1884. Standing as the world tallest building, the Washington Monument was dedicated in 1885 at a ceremony on the Mall.
(Photos came from Panoramio.com)
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