A Monumental Honor

The Washington Monument was the first major public monument to George Washington. It was originally built so George Washington himself could stand on top of the column and look over one of America’s great cities while also keeping watch for enemies that could attack by sea. The monument is two hundred seventy feet tall so that when Washington stood atop it, his famously long coat tails would not touch the ground. Because it was not completed during his lifetime, Italian sculptor Enrico Causici created a statue of Washington to adorn it. The statue is Washington’s actual size and weight, eighteen feet tall and weighing seven tons, although his coat tails were shortened due to safety concerns.

Baltimore, Maryland · United States