Monument Monday - 897 Steps to the Top of the Washington Monument
The fastest anyone has climbed the 897 steps to the top of the Washington Monument is 6 minutes, 42 seconds. But it’s probably best to just take the 70-second elevator ride up 550 feet to the top.
But if you have your heart set on walking it, walk-down tours are twice offered daily based on the availability of National Park Rangers, at 10:30 a.m. and Noon.
Built in honor of the first U.S. President and for his leadership in American independence, the Washington Monument opened in 1884. But its history of construction was anything but smooth. The project took two 8-year phases of actual construction over a 36-year period. During the Civil war and periods of no finding, the monument’s construction was halted for 20 years between 1856 and 1876.
Initial plans for a national monument honoring Washington was first proposed while Washington was still alive in 1783. District of Columbia planner, Pierre Charles L’Enfant recommended a statue of a horse-mounted Washington be erected, although Congress took no action. After Washington’s death in 1799, additional recommendations were made, resulting again in no Congressional action. (Some things never change.) Thirty-four years later, a society was formed to design, fund and erect a monument.
The initial plans called for a tall obelisk (50 feet taller than the current monument) with a circular colonnade at the base incorporating a statue of chariot-riding Washington along with 30 statues of Revolutionary War heroes.
The cornerstone was laid in 1848, but society infighting and lack of funding delayed progress. In 1854 the money ran out and in 1858, the Civil War halted all 
construction. For the next twenty years the monument remained one-third built.
The project was resumed under the control of the Corps of Engineers; now with a modified design that removed the original base and statutes, partially to lower the total cost. You can still see where the inability to buy similar white stones after construction restarted, which resulted in a slight but noticeable color change of the exterior marble around the 150-foot mark, indicating where the initial construction stopped and the second phase resumed.
A national campaign for funds and marble blocks needed in construction renewed interest and fund raising, but brought with it additional problems. Civic groups, businesses, individuals and organizations as well as local and foreign governments all donated blocks of marble. But some arrived inscribed with messages, many completely unrelated to Washington.
The monument was finally completed and then opened to the public in October, 1888. Initially, visitors were required to climb the stairs to the top, limiting attendance. After the elevator used in construction was quickly converted to a passenger elevator, a dramatic (25x) increase in the number of visitors happened instantly.
It became the tallest man-made structure in the world at 555 feet, but just one year after opening, the Eiffel Tower dramatically surpassed it by over 500 feet to claim the tallest structure title.
In 1982, an anti-nuclear arms protester, attempting to gain national attention by threatening to blow up the monument, started a hostage drama when he drove his van, which he claimed was packed with explosives, on to the base of the monument. After trapping 8 visitors in the monument and ten hours later, the standoff ended when he raced off and was then shot and killed by police.
The monument offers arguably the best views of DC, the National Mall and a 20+ mile view of the surrounding area on a clear day.
Washington Monument
15th St. and Jefferson Dr., NW, between Independence and Constitution Ave.
Washington, DC (map it)
More Information
Dates and Times - Daily tours are offered 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., and the monument closes at 5:00. Walk down tours - daily at 10:30 a.m. and Noon.
Tickets - Free, but a ticket (limit 6 per person) is required and are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the same day at the Washington Monument kiosk. Lines can form early before the kiosk opens, especially on weekends. Advance free timed tickets are your best bet, and are available online or by calling 1-800-967-2283 (a $1.50 per ticket surcharge applies). Online reservations require registration.
Nearest Metro Subway Station - Smithsonian, Blue and Orange lines, then a 4-block walk.
Parking - Limited metered street parking is available.
Images - views from the top - Flickr, all others personal collection
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6 Comments
You forgot to make mention of the aluminum tip on the monument which, at the time, was the largest solid piece of aluminum and was worth more than gold. Aluminum, at the time, had no chemical means to be produced.
Kind of cool, learned it on the Discovery Channel!
You are correct Douglas, the monument’s cap has its own story. Might make a good post on Washington Monument trivia in the future.
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