When did the Washington Monument break?

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.



The Washington Monument suffered significant structural damage on August 23, 2011, following a rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Mineral, Virginia. The seismic activity caused more than 150 cracks throughout the 555-foot stone obelisk, with the most severe damage occurring at the very top, known as the pyramidion. Large chunks of mortar and stone were shaken loose, and rainwater began leaking into the interior. The monument was immediately closed to the public for an extensive $15 million restoration project that involved engineers rappelling down the sides of the structure to hand-seal cracks with epoxy and replace damaged stone. It famously sat encased in a decorative "scrim" and scaffolding for years before finally reopening to visitors in May 2014. While smaller incidents have occurred, such as elevator malfunctions or minor lightning strikes, the 2011 "break" remains the most serious structural threat the monument has faced since its completion in 1884.

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On Tuesday, August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, occurred 84 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., damaging the Washington Monument. The National Park Service has temporarily closed the Monument and is assessing the damage to it.

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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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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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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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The Washington Monument was constructed in two phases after laying the cornerstone in 1848. The color line shows where construction halted in 1856, when private donations to fund the Monument dried up.

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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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