What cracked the Washington Monument?

The Earthquake Damage occurred throughout the metropolitan Washington area, but the Washington Monument was among the significantly damaged structures. Check out the videos below to learn more about the earthquake, assessments and the repairs that followed.



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On August 23, 2011, the Washington Monument sustained damage during the 5.8 magnitude 2011 Virginia earthquake; over 150 cracks were found in the monument.

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The monument has been closed for most of the past eight years. An August 2011 earthquake left cracks in the stones near the top of the obelisk. It reopened in 2014, but Park Service officials were forced to close it again two years later after a series of elevator malfunctions.

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Construction of the Washington Monument began in 1848 with enslaved Africans as laborers, according to several sources. Construction stopped in 1854 due to lack of funds, and then resumed from 1877 until its completion in 1888.

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It took nearly 40 years to build a tribute to the first U.S. president. It was stalled by a lack of funds and, at one point, occupied by a political fringe group. Few structures represent the United States as powerfully as the Washington Monument.

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However, after Washington became president, he scrapped the plans for his memorial, as federal government funds were tight and he didn't want to use public money for the project.

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5 Things You Might Not Know About the Washington Monument
  • Plans for the monument began even before Washington was elected president. ...
  • The original design for the monument was much different than what ended up being built. ...
  • The monument was once the site of a hostage situation. ...
  • The monument has survived an earthquake.


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Even the Washington Monument is a Rubenstein project. He donated $7.5 million to help the National Park Service repair the monument after it was damaged by an earthquake in 2010.

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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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As the nation's tallest monument, the Gateway Arch has welcomed visitors for more than fifty years with its iconic, awe-inspiring shape. The vision of renowned architect Eero Saarinen, the Gateway Arch commemorates Thomas Jefferson's vision and St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of the United States.

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The Statue of Unity, which depicts Indian politician and independence reformer Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is now the highest in the world.

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August 2, 1876 Congress appropriates $2 million in federal funds to complete the construction of the Washington Monument. The public funding is contingent upon the transfer of ownership of the monument from The Washington National Monument Society to the federal government.

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Scholars believe that obelisks represented eternity and immortality, and their long, tapering form functioned to connect the heavens and the earth. Their pinnacles were typically covered in gold to reflect the sunlight.

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Thereafter in the actual implementation of the Monument's construction the engineers responsible for it's construction apparently observed that the formal nexus originally intended was too marshy and the soil there presumably not competent to support the weight of the massive structure proposed.

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