The Washington Monument Opened to the Public
On this day · 9 October 1888
After nearly four decades of stalled construction, the world's tallest structure finally welcomed visitors to ride to its summit.
On October 9, 1888, the Washington Monument opened to the public, capping a project that had stumbled along for forty years. Ground was first broken in 1848, but funding shortages and the Civil War halted work for decades, leaving an unfinished stump on the National Mall. A change in the marble used partway up still leaves a visible color seam today.
The finished obelisk rose to 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches, making it the tallest building in the world at the time. It held that title only briefly, surpassed in 1889 by the newly completed Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Dedicated in 1885, the monument stayed closed to visitors for more than three years before opening day.
When the doors finally opened, a steam-powered elevator carried sightseers skyward, though the cautious sent women and children up the staircase instead. Honoring George Washington, the structure remains the tallest in the U.S. capital and one of the most recognizable landmarks on the National Mall.
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