History of Washington Monument
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The Washington Monument is deemed as the world's tallest self supporting structure. It height is 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches. It is the centerpiece of the city center, and over 800,000 people come to see this imposing and magnificent structure every year.
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The Washington Monument located between the 15th Street and the 17th Street, and its administration and preservation is in the hands of the National Capital Parks Central Region.
It was during the initial days of the US that the idea of paying tribute to the first US President George Washington by way of a monument had first surfaced. During his lifetime, Washington discouraged any such effort, and it was only in 1833 when a few citizens got together and formed the Washington National Monument Society. The aim of this group was self-explanatory -- to build a monument in honor of the country's first president.
In 1836, American architects were asked to submit design proposals, and over a decade later in 1845, the neoclassical design by Robert Mills was selected. Mills design was however later discarded due to the elevated costs involved, but his idea for a 500-foot Egyptian obelisk was retained. Within the next 3 years, i.e., by the year 1848, $230,000 were in the coffers of the society, and work got started with laying of the cornerstone on July 4. However, things came to a halt in the year 1854 owing to the lack of funds to continue building.
Congress made the necessary financial arrangements and the construction was finally completed in 1884 by the US Army. The Washington Monument had to undergo restoration a few times, and the last major work was done in 1934.
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