May 12, 2014

The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., reopened today, after a nearly three-year effort to repair damage caused by an earthquake in August 2011. The 5.8-magnitude quake, whose epicenter lay about 85 miles (135 kilometers) southwest of the capital, had rumbled under much of the northeastern United States. The shaking loosened stones in the hollow monument, damaged an elevator, and caused some 150 cracks to appear on its outer surface. The cracks left the structure vulnerable to Hurricane Irene, which rolled over the Eastern Seaboard a few days after the earthquake. Water seeped in, especially at the monument’s pyramid top. Despite the damage, National Park Service officials said that the monument remained structurally sound.

A team of engineers inspects the Washington Monument for damage in September 2011. A month earlier, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Washington, D.C., and other parts of the northeastern United States. (AP Photo)

The 555-foot (169-meter) obelisk was built as a tribute to George Washington, the American colonists’ military leader during the American Revolution and the first president of the United States. Completed on Dec. 6, 1884, the monument was dedicated on Feb. 21, 1885. It opened to the public on Oct. 9, 1888. The construction was financed by public donations and some government funds. The recently completed $15-million repair project was funded equally by a donation from David Rubenstein, an American financier and philanthropist, and an appropriation by Congress. The monument is among the most popular attractions in Washington, D.C. Added during the repair project were new exhibits on the top floor.

Additional World Book articles:

• Martha Custis Washington
• Mount Vernon
• First in War, First in Peace… But Not in Libraries (a Special Report)