04/04/09
Washington Monument and Good Weather -
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This postcard-like photograph of the Washington Monument was also taken during my recent trip to Washington DC. It marked the first pleasant weather of the trip. People were everywhere enjoying the change, a true urban experience. Thousands strolled along the Capitol Mall. People gathered near the White House. Skate boarders practiced their skills on plazas. Children were excited and tourists shot pictures. In this photo, the two different tones of rock that mark the break in construction are very obvious. According to Wikipedia: "The monument, made of marble, granite, and sandstone, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5⅛ inches (169.294 m) in height. It is also the tallest structure in Washington D.C. It was designed by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. This hiatus in construction happened because of co-option by the Know-Nothing party, a lack of funds, and the intervention of the American Civil War. "A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m) up, shows where construction was halted for a number of years. Its cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9, 1888. Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title it inherited from the Cologne Cathedral and held until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was finished in Paris, France." |
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