Congress wanted to build a monument to George Washington. Some people wanted a statue of him on a horse. After he died, some wanted a tomb for him in the Washington, D.C. It was not until the 1830s that a group was formed to raise money for some kind of monument.

The group had a design contest. They chose the design by Robert Mills. It was an obelisk, a tall column that comes to a point. It also had 30 statues of war heroes and Washington. Work started in 1848.

Trouble started in 1854. The money ran out. People disagreed about the project. The Civil War started. Construction was stopped. It was not started again until 1879. Then Congress gave money for the project. The statues were left out. It was finished in 1884.

The Washington Monument is over 555 feet tall. At the time, it was the tallest building in the world.

The Washington Monument is still the tallest building in Washington D.C. Some people think its a law that in Washington, D.C., nothing can be taller than the Monument. That is not true.

The Washington Monument has 897 steps to the top. The public is not allowed to use them anymore. There is an elevator. It was installed in 1959. The Monument was closed and repaired from 1998 to 2000.

In August of 2011, an earthquake hit Washington, D.C. As a result, the top of the Washington Monument had cracks in its walls. The monument was closed to all visitors. It opened in 2014.

It was also closed another time from 2016 to 2019.