What was the Washington Monument supposed to be?

Starting with victory in the Revolutionary War, there were many proposals to build a monument to Washington, beginning with an authorization in 1783 by the old Confederation Congress to erect an equestrian statue of the General in a future American national capital city.



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In the 1790s, architect Benjamin Latrobe designed an Egyptian-style pyramid that would include large murals painted inside to honor Washington as the United States' first president. Planning for a monument began during Washington's lifetime, and was part of the original plan for the new capital city.

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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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The Monument is an engineering marvel. The Washington Post recently pointed out an interesting fact in an on-going debate about the Monument as the world's tallest free-standing masonry structure. The Monument's marble blocks are held together by just gravity and friction, and no mortar was used in the process.

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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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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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The Washington Monument Looks Like an Obelisk Because of Egyptomania. In a technical sense, the Washington Monument isn't an obelisk, because it isn't made from a single piece of stone. That fact makes it no less impressive. Stretching 555 feet in the air, the Washington Monument is the tallest thing in the city.

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Inspections found a crack at the top of the monument, a park service spokesman said. The earthquake didn't cause widespread damages or injuries, but it did put a crack in the Washington Monument.

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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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One person (16+ years old) may obtain up to six tickets for an available ticket time. All visitors (including children ages 2+) must have a ticket to enter the Washington Monument. During peak season, tickets run out quickly. Expect a line to form at the ticket window wait long before the ticket window opens.

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The Washington Monument was created to remember our nation's first president, George Washington.

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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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At the centre of Piazza del Popolo stands one of the first Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome by Augustus to mark the 20th anniversary of his conquest of Egypt in 10 BC. Made of Aswan granite, the obelisk was made for Seti I before 1300 BC, but only three sides bear his inscriptions.

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The first obelisks were built by ancient Egyptians. They were carved from stone and placed in pairs at the entrance of temples as sacred objects that symbolized the sun god, Ra. It's believed that the shape symbolized a single sun ray.

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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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