One of the oldest tourist attractions in Washington DC is the
Washington Monument. Located on National Mall adjacent to Lincoln
Memorial, this monument is tribute to one of the greatest legends of
America, George Washington. George Washington was the first president of
United States and one of the main founders of country. He is described
as a great and honorable man in history and therefore it only made sense
to honor him in some way after his death and that’s why Washington
Monument was constructed in heart of the capital.
On Washington’s 100th birthday people started fundraising and
collecting donations to build a monument to honor him. Competitions were
organized to choose the best design for the monument. The design chosen
resembled the Egyptian obelisk. There were several delays in the
construction and that’s why same stone could not be used. The stone
changes its color from the bottom third of the monument. The materials
used were sandstone, marble and granite and the tip was made from cast
aluminum which at that time was even more expensive than silver. The
construction of the Washington Monument for the first president was
completed by Army Corps of Engineers in 1884. The monument is over 555’
in height which makes it the tallest obelisk in the world.
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