Why is the Washington Monument Temporarily Closed?

On August 23, 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered in Virginia sent tremors throughout eastern North America and affected a number of Washington, D.C. landmarks, including the Washington Monument. National Park Service engineers and experts in historic preservation and earthquake engineering immediately assessed the physical impact to determine the best way to repair the monument and restore public access. Completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1884, the Washington Monument honors George Washington for his generalship in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and for his later refusal to serve more than two terms as President of the United States (1789-1797). The monument remains the world’s tallest freestanding stone structure and has weathered several earthquakes, including one in 1897 with a magnitude of 5.9.

Washington, District of Columbia · United States