Washington Monument: The Marble Changes Colour a Third of the Way Up

The Washington Monument is a 169-metre marble obelisk - the tallest obelisk in the world - and if you look at it carefully, the marble changes colour about a third of the way up. Construction began in 1848, halted in 1854 due to funding problems and political complications, and resumed in 1877 after a 23-year gap. The marble for the resumed construction came from a different Maryland quarry than the original; the lower section had also weathered during the decades of inactivity. The colour band is subtle on overcast days and more pronounced in direct sunlight. Most people never notice it.

The monument was briefly the tallest man-made structure on Earth after its 1884 completion, before the Eiffel Tower took that title in 1889. The view from the 152-metre observation level - reached by elevator in 70 seconds - gives a 360-degree panorama over the entire Mall: the Capitol to the east, the Lincoln Memorial and the Potomac to the west, the White House directly north. On clear days, Maryland hills are visible. This is the best elevated view of Washington available to the public.

Getting In

Admission is free. Timed entry passes are required and released 30 days ahead through recreation.gov. Same-day passes are available at the monument grounds from 09:00 on a first-come, first-served basis, but these go quickly in busy periods (March through August, any weekend). Book online a few weeks ahead if your schedule is fixed. Hours are 09:00-17:00 daily, last elevator at 16:00.

The monument is at the centre of the National Mall, five minutes’ walk from the Smithsonian Metro station.

The Mall

The Washington Monument sits at the geometric axial centre of the Mall, which runs two miles from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial with the monument at the midpoint. The Korean War Veterans Memorial is to its west and deserves more attention than it gets: nineteen stainless steel infantry figures in formation, life-size and rain-streaked, moving through a triangular field. It is, in my view, more affecting than the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which receives more visitors because of the wall with 58,000 names. Both are worth visiting; the Korean memorial is usually quieter.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a V-shaped black granite wall inscribed with the 58,318 names of Americans killed or missing in Vietnam, in chronological order of death. Maya Lin designed it when she was a 21-year-old Yale architecture student; the choice was controversial in 1982. The wall is below ground level, so you descend into it and the names rise above you as you walk to the apex.

The World War II Memorial between the monument and the Reflecting Pool opened in 2004: 56 granite pillars for the US states and territories, two large semicircular plazas, inscriptions of major campaigns. It’s large, formal, and well-executed.

Smithsonian Museums

All Smithsonian museums are free. The National Gallery of Art West Building holds the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Americas (Ginevra de’ Benci) plus major Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Monet collections - the strongest pre-20th century European art outside New York, free to enter. The National Museum of African American History and Culture requires timed entry booked weeks ahead at recreation.gov; it’s the most significant recent museum addition in Washington and worth a full day.

Old Ebbitt Grill on 15th Street NW, two blocks from the monument, has operated since 1856 with good oysters and classic American food at $20-35 per person for lunch.