Washington, D.C

12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Washington Monument

Published

2 weeks ago

November 11, 2024

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12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Washington Monument

Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

If you’ve ever watched a movie about an alien invasion, specifically Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956), Mars Attacks! (1998) or any movie in the Marvel Universe that contains close encounters of the third kind, you’ve seen the Washington Monument. An iconic American historical landmark located in Washington DC’s National Mall, the monument is a stone obelisk stretching 555 feet into the sky. It was built to commemorate founding father George Washington and remains the world’s tallest predominately stone structure—and an essential tourist locale for US history fans.

Whether you’re a local or a first-time visitor to The District, there’s plenty of hidden or lesser-known trivia about this historically significant monument. Mike Litterst, chief of communications for the National Mall and Memorial Parks, helped us find the facts that only those in the know…know.

1. It was the tallest building in the world at the time of its completion
Although the Washington Monument is tall, it’s far from the tallest in the world. (That title is currently held by the 2,717-feet-tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai.) However, Litterst points out, modern tourists look up at it and think Wow, that’s pretty tall if we stretch our imaginations to when it was completed in 1888. This was the tallest structure in the world at that time. (The Eiffel tower would blow the monument out of the water for the tallest building shortly thereafter.)

2. It has a color shift about a third of the way up.
Visitors to the monument can see a slight shift in color about a third of the way up the obelisk. And, no, it’s not from the high water line of a recent flood. (Litterst said most of the staff at the monument has a favorite not-factually-based reason for the change in hue.) The truth is there was a pause in the construction of the monument from 1854 to 1877 due to funding challenges. (The cost of the original design, adjusted for modern inflation, would’ve been around $30,000,000 in 2024.) Thus, the Army Corps of Engineers who took over the project had to seek out stone from a different quarry and the coloration of the obelisk was changed.

3. The Army Corps of Engineers had to dramatically fix the monument’s thickness.
The aforementioned first third of the obelisk was constructed by the Washington National Monument Society. They took it upon themselves to make this monument happen, spurred on by their patriotic fanfare for George Washington, according to the National Park Service’s website. They got an original design from Robert Mills, an American cartographer and architect from South Carolina, and set to work.

When they hit a funding roadblock, the Army Corps of Engineers took over. This was also a very different level of building professionalism from the Army Corps of Engineers, said Litterst. There’s a big difference between engineers from the U.S. government and a “bunch of guys getting together.”

Thus, when it was eventually taken over by the engineers, a few errors had to be corrected. The walls were way too thick. At the base of the statue you’ll still find that the walls are around 15 feet thick. It was determined, according to Litterst, that if the entire monument was built with the walls that same thickness, it would collapse in on itself due to the sheer weight.

The thickness of the walls dramatically changes farther up the statue. The top section of the monument’s walls are just 18 inches thick. The foundation was also completely inadequate for the expected height of the structure and had to be fixed over the course of a few years. The angle also had to be corrected as the bottom third of the structure was sitting a few degrees off of perpendicular with the dirt below.

4. This is a far cry from the original design.
The original design the Washington National Monument Society sought to build is far different from the classic Egyptian-style obelisk we see standing today. The original design, according to Litterst, called for not only a colonnade-looking building encircling the bottom of a 600-foot column, but also a statue of Washington himself standing in a chariot and holding the reins of six horses. Inside the colonnade would be statues of 30 prominent Revolutionary War heroes as well as statues of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Architect Henry Robinson Searle from Rochester, New York had objections to the original design, according to a book entitled Washington Monument Monograph which was originally published by Gibson Bros. printers in 1847 and made public (and available via internet) by the Library of Congress.

“First, would the foundation sustain the weight of the required height, and especially with the increased localized pressure in a storm of wind; second, the mere obelisk appeared only as an enlarged plagiarism, in no way illustrating the memory of Washington personally, or those connected with him, or the history of this growing country; third, there is nothing whatever aesthetic about it, and nothing that would impress the visitor, whether native or foreign, with the grandeur of the work of Washington and his coadjutors in founding this nation.”

Boom, roasted.

5. Elevator rides of yore were much much slower.
The elevator to the top of the Washington Monument today takes about 70 seconds. It’s the same as going up to the top floor of a 50-story building. This is also the fifth elevator this structure has had installed since its construction. The original steam-powered elevator took a whopping 10 to 12 minutes to get to the top.

6. It’s capped with aluminum (which used to be a lot more impressive).
Litters revealed that the monument is capped with 100 ounces of pure aluminum. Today, that doesn’t seem so incredible given our grocery-store access to rolls of the element. If we once again put ourselves in the shoes of Americans at the time when the metal was put onto the monument, around 1884, aluminum ore had just begun being processed and was, ounce for ounce, just as valuable as silver. Imagine that the monument was capped in pure silver or gold and that’s a comparable example for its value at the time the monument was being built, Litterst points out.

7. It’s held together by gravity.
There is a piece of glory that this monument has held on to despite its loss of the world’s tallest building title. The structure has no internal scaffolding. It has no metal internal structure holding it up, in fact it’s only held together by gravity and force of friction between the stones. Therefore, the structure gets to keep the title of the tallest freestanding stone structure.

8. It’s undergone several restorations.
Since it’s a free-standing structure, the monument is incredibly difficult to maintain. Each time maintenance needs to be done on the marble all 555 feet of the thing needs to be covered by scaffolding. That said, it was restored once in the 1930s, as a part of a WPA (Work Progress Administration) project. Again in the 1960s around the National Park Service’s 50th anniversary. It was called mission 66. Between 1998 and 2001 it was scaffolded as a part of a program called Save America’s Treasures. And finally, most recently, between 2011 and 2014 it needed maintenance following the 2011 Virginia Earthquake. Each time the structure is scaffolded, according to Litterst, it takes 35 miles of piping which is then made into a temporary structure around the monument.

9. Somehow the pope is involved.
On the day it opened to the public, there were stones from all 50 states and about a dozen countries inside the structure. There was even a piece of marble from the Acropolis in Athens, according to Litterst. Even Pope Pius IX sent in a stone. Today you can see 194 different commemorative stones ranging from important historical figures to run-of-the-mill George Washington admirers.

10. It was, in part, constructed in 20-foot segments.
As we’ve covered, the monument doesn’t currently have any scaffolding supporting the stone structure. During its construction, it was a different story. After the bottom third, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began constructing the monument in 20-foot segments. During the construction of these stone segments there was internal scaffolding for builders to use. They would build 20 feet up, then move up the iron scaffolding, then build another 20 feet. A steam-powered elevator was used to lift up to six tones of stone up the moveable iron frame. The process of building up these stone segments was comparable to the modern experience of building legos (on an entirely different scale) according to Litterst.

11. The cornerstone ceremony was a star-studded event.
In 1848, when construction began on the monument, there was a ceremony. 20,000 people came to watch, including some household names. President James K. Polk was there. A handful of future presidents – specifically Buchanan, Lincoln, and Johnson – were in attendance. Eliza Hamilton, Alexander Hamilton’s window and distinct character in the modern musical with their shared last name. Really, a who’s who of the 1848 political scene.

12. The cap was placed purposefully.
During the final stretch of the monument’s construction, there was the precarious business of attaching the pyramid-shaped topper. About 470 feet in the air, builders began tapering in the structure, according to the National Parks Service website. On December 6, 1884, the 3,300-pound capstone was placed atop the structure. It was brought out one of the windows, hoisted to the scaffolding at the top of the monument, and set in place. Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, who led the Army Corps of Engineers’s work on the structure, then placed that 8.9-inch aluminum tip on the very top of the capstone.

Gwen Egan is a Thrillist contributor.

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Washington, D.C

Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas to Visit Washington, DC, On International Tour

Published

7 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas to Visit Washington, DC, On International Tour

Friday’s event will begin with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics.

The major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Angelic Doctor,” are on tour and scheduled to make a stop in Washington, D.C., next weekend as part of the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of his canonization.

Members of the faithful will be able to venerate the relics, including his skull, on two separate occasions: first at St. Dominic’s Church on Friday, Nov. 29, and then again on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Dominican House of Studies. The event is co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute.

“In a time of renewed interest in the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, the jubilees of his canonization (700 years in 2023), death (750 years in 2024), and birth (800 years in 2025) draw our attention to the masterwork of wisdom and sanctity which God wrought in him,” Dominican Father Gregory Pine, assistant director at the Thomistic Institute, said in a press release.

“The opportunity that we have to receive and venerate his relics makes this grace all the more proximate and precious to us,” Father Pine added.

Friday’s event will begin at 12:10 p.m. with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics of the revered theologian and philosopher from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be solemn vespers at 5:30 p.m. and night prayer at 6:45 p.m. with a Marian procession to follow.

On Saturday, the Dominican House of Studies will begin the day with solemn lauds and a votive Mass of St. Thomas Aquinas at 7:30 a.m., and veneration of the relics will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pine will also preach at 3 p.m. that day.

“‘Get wisdom, get understanding’ (Prv 4:5). One way is to study, another way is to pray for it, but an exceptional way is to pray for it in the presence of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Dominican Father James Brent, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies, also stated in the release.

The relic of St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull comes to the U.S. from the Dominicans in Toulouse, France, and is one of two skulls Church officials claim to have belonged to the 11th-century saint. The other is housed in the Italian city of Priverno. The Dominicans in France commissioned a new reliquary for the skull last year to celebrate the saint’s canonization anniversary.

After Aquinas’ death in 1274, his body was kept in Fossanova Abbey in Priverno until 1369, when his relics were moved to Toulouse, a city in southwestern France, where the Order of Preachers was established. Aquinas’ tomb rests in the Church of the Jacobins.

Researchers are currently weighing the possibility of conducting an in-depth forensic analysis of both skulls to determine their authenticity.

Where do the relics go next?

After two stops in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, Aquinas’ relics hit the road for their U.S. tour:

Charlottesville, Virginia: St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 2

Providence, Rhode Island: Providence College on Dec. 4

Cincinnati: St. Gertrude Priory on Dec. 6

Columbus, Ohio: St. Patrick Priory on Dec. 7–8

Louisville, Kentucky: St. Louis Bertrand on Dec. 10

Springfield, Kentucky: St. Rose Priory on Dec. 12

New York City: St. Vincent Ferrer on Dec. 14

Philadelphia: St. Patrick on Dec. 16

Baltimore: Sts. Philip and James on Dec. 18

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DC brothers freed after wrongful murder convictions seek presidential pardon

Published

15 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

DC brothers freed after wrongful murder convictions seek presidential pardon

Two brothers who spent decades in prison after being convicted of a 1984 murder in Washington, D.C., they say they did not commit, are seeking a presidential pardon.

Charles and Chris Turner were convicted as teenagers for the killing of Catherine Fuller in Northeast Washington, D.C. near the intersection of 8th and H Street, Fox 5 DC reported.

They have since been released and are fighting for a pardon that would help restore their rights.

“With the pardon, we get a chance to fix all that and bring a closure to this case once and for all,” Chris Turner told Fox 5 DC.

TWO TEENS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH ROBBERY THAT LEFT BELOVED DC DJ DEAD: ‘WE WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE’

Charles and Chris Turner were convicted as teenagers for the killing of Catherine Fuller in Northeast Washington, D.C. near the intersection of 8th and H Street. (iStock)

After decades in custody for a crime which they did not commit, the brothers maintain a positive view on the future and the impact they can have moving forward, stressing that they will not allow their case to mentally hold them back.

“People get upset more that we’re not bitter,” Chris Turner said. “We think if you remain bitter, remain upset about what occurred – even though it was an atrocity and it was injustice – that you stay locked up mentally.”

The case revealed allegations of suppressed evidence, coerced testimony and investigative errors.

Seventeen people were arrested in connection with Fuller’s murder, with eight ultimately convicted, according to Fox 5 DC. The six who are still alive all maintain their innocence after collectively serving more than 200 years behind bars.

HEAD OF DC PRESCHOOL ARRESTED AFTER DIRECTING UNDERCOVER OFFICER ‘TO ABUSE HIS CHILD,’ JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS

The Turner brothers have become involved in their community and remain hopeful about their futures, although limitations in areas such as career prospects remain due to their felony records.

“We’ve actually said we might join the police force if we didn’t have this on our record … I used to want to be in the Navy. I can’t serve my country because I have a record,” Charles Turner said.

The brothers’ fight for a pardon represents a crucial step in restoring their reputation and rights lost in the convictions.

The case revealed allegations of suppressed evidence, coerced testimony and investigative errors. (iStock)

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Charles Turner said he believes a pardon would bring validation to himself and the other five convicted men, as well as to his family, friends and others who have supported him.

“It would also validate – help to validate – what they know, not what they believe, but what they know. There’s a big difference there,” he said.

Most presidential pardons have been granted between Election Day and Inauguration Day.

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Washington, D.C

Caps Have Saturday Night Date with Devils in DC | Washington Capitals

Published

23 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Caps Have Saturday Night Date with Devils in DC | Washington Capitals

November 23 vs. New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena

Time: 7:00 p.m.

TV: MNMT

Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7

New Jersey Devils (13-7-2)

Washington Capitals (13-5-1)

When the Caps and Devils first met this season on Oct. 12 here in Washington’s home opener, New Jersey was playing its fourth game of the season. Six weeks later, the Devils are back in town for another Saturday night Metro Division tilt, and the Caps still hold three games in hand on New Jersey.

And in a fun scheduling quirk, the Caps and Devils are starting their second set of “back-to-back” Saturday home-and-home contests in as many months. After the Devils spoiled the Caps’ season opener here last month, Washington won 6-5 in New Jersey a week later, on Oct. 19. The Caps and Devils will conclude their season’s series next Saturday night in Newark.

The Caps come into Saturday’s game on the heels of regulation loss, 2-1 to the Avalanche in the opener of this quick two-game homestand. Thursday’s loss to Colorado was Washington’s first setback at the hands of a Western Conference opponent this season (7-1-0) and also its first regulation defeat in a one-goal game (3-1-1) in 2024-25.

Last weekend, the Caps started a successful three-game road trip out west with a 5-2 win over the Avalanche in Denver, a victory fueled by staunch defense and an opportunistic offense that feasted on transition. Six nights later in Washington, the Caps were still able to generate some transition opportunities, but they had much less success in solving goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, who came off injured reserve to make 26 saves, winning his fourth consecutive start.

And while Washington got another strong goaltending performance from Logan Thompson, the Caps spent more time defending in their end of the ice than they did in the earlier meeting in Denver, leaving less time and energy for attacking.

“I think we played pretty well,” says Caps’ defenseman John Carlson. “We got some chances we didn’t capitalize on, that have seemingly been going in for us. And with kind of a tough bounce against us, too, the game could be a lot different.”

The bounce to which Carlson refers occurred late in the second period with the Caps clinging to a 1-0 lead. With Colorado on the power play against the excellent Washington penalty killing outfit, Mikko Rantanen attempted to thread a seam pass from the right circle to Nathan MacKinnon at the opposite dot. The pass never got through; it clicked off Caps’ defenseman Matt Roy and bounded into the net, knotting the game at 1-1. Miles Wood tipped home a Cale Makar shot early in the third, and that was all the offense Georgiev needed.

“We were very average, and I thought their top guys were very noticeable tonight,” was Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery’s assessment of Thursday’s loss. “They controlled play, and they could have had three or four [goals]. They were on us pretty good.”

Playing without injured captain Alex Ovechkin for the first time this season, and with a couple of new line combinations as a result, the Caps weren’t as polished with the puck as they’ve been recently, so once again, they’ll be seeking to bounce back successfully from a setback, something they’ve done five times in five opportunities to this point of the season.

In the midst of the Caps’ recent offensive upswing and Ovechkin’s remarkable early-season heater – right up to the point of his injury in Utah on Monday – the team’s defensive consistency has gone a bit under the radar.

As they forged a 7-2-0 record in October, the Caps averaged 4.11 goals for (tied for third in NHL) and they surrendered an average of three goals against even, per game (tied for 10th). Ten games into November now, they are 6-3-1 while averaging a League-leading 4.2 goals per game. The Caps have trimmed their goals against per game to 2.5 in November, tied for eighth in the League. Washington has permitted two or fewer goals against in seven of its 10 games this month.

Last season, when the Caps managed to hold their opponent to two or fewer goals, they rolled up a 29-2-3 record. After Thursday’s loss, they are 9-1-0 in such games this season.

While the Caps tangled with the Avalanche on Thursday, the Devils earned a 4-2 home ice victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. When Washington skated away with the aforementioned 6-5 overtime win over New Jersey in Newark on Oct. 19, the loss started the Devils on a small 0-2-2 spiral. Since then, New Jersey has played to an 8-3-0 record, getting blanked in all three of its losses over that stretch.

New Jersey has been a well-balanced bunch in the first quarter of the campaign. The Devils are averaging 3.45 goals per game (eighth in NHL) and they are giving up just 2.64 goals against (seventh). They’ve yielded two or fewer goals against in seven of their last 11 games.

In 21 of the last 39 meetings between these two Metropolitan Division rivals, one or both teams have scored five or more goals.

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