Construction of Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is a tall white marble obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built in honor of George Washington, the first president of the United States. The architect Robert Mills designed it, and the cornerstone was laid in 1848, but work stopped in the 1850s for lack of money, then was interrupted by the Civil War. When construction restarted in the 1870s under the Army Corps of Engineers, the difference in color between the lower and upper blocks was caused by the change in the marble source. The capstone was set in December 1884 and the monument was dedicated in 1885, and opened to the public in 1888. At about 169 meters it was the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower surpassed it in 1889.

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