Is it illegal to swim at the Washington Monument?

Facing increased criticism from black leaders and concerns that the water was polluted, Congress voted to ban swimming in the Tidal Basin in 1925. Swimming has never been allowed in the Reflecting Pool, but there were segregated, whites-only swimming pools near the Washington Monument during the late 1920s.



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“Whatever changes have occurred here would be much, much more subtle.” The monument sits about 15 to 20 feet above sea level and has sunk about 2 inches into the ground since it was completed in 1884.

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Today, visitors to Washington DC can tour the monument and visit it day or night, including climbing to the top of the obelisk. Although it is free and open to the public, guests need to get tickets in order to tour the monument.

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WASHINGTON, March 11—The Washington Monument, the No. 3 tourist attraction in the capital, is getting its first scrubbing in 30 years.

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The two sections closely resembled each other at first, but time, wind, rain, and erosion have caused the marble sections to weather differently, thereby producing the difference in color. A third type of marble is also visible at the dividing line between the two main phases of construction.

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