The Washington Monument on Monday, November 18, one week after workers began removing scaffolding. The monument is scheduled to reopen to the public in the spring. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
The lights of the Washington Monument have been off for a week, and most people have adjusted, more or less, to its absence in the nighttime Washington skyline. The lights were turned off so workers could remove the 500 tons of scaffolding that enabled them to perform $15 million in earthquake damage repairs, beginning early this year. The monument will reopen and the lights will go back on in spring 2014.
Carol B. Johnson of the National Park Service says the removal project will last two to three months. “Spring” is as specific as she’ll get regarding an opening date. “They are still working on the 160-foot level and below,” she said. The work is 85 percent complete on the exterior and 50 percent complete on the interior. “By the time the scaffolding is down the exterior work will be done,” Johnson says. After the work is done on the monument itself, the plaza will be put back in place.
“They removed a large portion of the plaza so it wouldn’t be damaged by scaffolding,” Johnson said. “Each of those plaza pieces is marked, and they will be put back in exactly the same place they were removed from.” After that comes landscaping.
The repaired monument will open with a “refreshed” look and new exhibits for the estimated 700,000 people who visit each year, according to Johnson. It is the only monument that requires tickets, due to the elevator ride from the ground to the top—500 feet up—and back down again. There also are stairs, 897 of them, but they are no longer open to the public.
This is the second time the monument has been encased in scaffolding in the past 24 years. The last time was from 1989 to 2000 for a restoration project. The scaffolding—then and now—has always had its fans, who consider it “Christo-like,” especially when lit up at night. Nonetheless, the wrapping must come off. “After all, it’s the Washington Monument,” said Robert Vogel, superintendent of the Mall.
A Washington Monument Repair Timetable, From Scaffold Removal to Reopening
Fixes continue as the scaffolding comes down.
The lights of the Washington Monument have been off for a week, and most people have adjusted, more or less, to its absence in the nighttime Washington skyline. The lights were turned off so workers could remove the 500 tons of scaffolding that enabled them to perform $15 million in earthquake damage repairs, beginning early this year. The monument will reopen and the lights will go back on in spring 2014.
Carol B. Johnson of the National Park Service says the removal project will last two to three months. “Spring” is as specific as she’ll get regarding an opening date. “They are still working on the 160-foot level and below,” she said. The work is 85 percent complete on the exterior and 50 percent complete on the interior. “By the time the scaffolding is down the exterior work will be done,” Johnson says. After the work is done on the monument itself, the plaza will be put back in place.
“They removed a large portion of the plaza so it wouldn’t be damaged by scaffolding,” Johnson said. “Each of those plaza pieces is marked, and they will be put back in exactly the same place they were removed from.” After that comes landscaping.
The repaired monument will open with a “refreshed” look and new exhibits for the estimated 700,000 people who visit each year, according to Johnson. It is the only monument that requires tickets, due to the elevator ride from the ground to the top—500 feet up—and back down again. There also are stairs, 897 of them, but they are no longer open to the public.
This is the second time the monument has been encased in scaffolding in the past 24 years. The last time was from 1989 to 2000 for a restoration project. The scaffolding—then and now—has always had its fans, who consider it “Christo-like,” especially when lit up at night. Nonetheless, the wrapping must come off. “After all, it’s the Washington Monument,” said Robert Vogel, superintendent of the Mall.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What’s Going On With These Allegedly Stranded Astronauts?
Lauren Boebert and Kid Rock Could Be the Perfect MAGA Power Couple
Spoons Are Becoming a Symbol of Feds’ Resistance to Trump and Musk
In the Event of a US Invasion, Canadians Really Like Their Chances
Trump’s Attempts to Shrink the Federal Workforce Could Hit the DC Area’s Economy Hard
Washingtonian Magazine
February Issue: 100 Very Best Restaurants
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
DC Culture Roundup: Book, Podcast, Album, and TV Recommendations
The National Building Museum Wants to Show You Its Weird Stuff
These DC Food Activists Were Behind the Ranked-Choice-Voting Initiative
A Biography of Perle Mesta Sheds Light on a Famed DC Figure
More from News & Politics
Trump Gives Feds Layoffs for Valentine’s Day, Protest at Kennedy Center, and We’ve Got Some Brunch Ideas
How a DC Immigrant Resource Center Is Tackling the Second Trump Administration
“Wonder Woman” Lynda Carter on Transitioning From Hollywood to Washington
Enrique Tarrio Weighs Run for Matt Gaetz’s Old Congressional Seat
5 Things Know About Richard Grenell, the Interim President of Trump’s Kennedy Center
Sheer Madness at the Kennedy Center, Mass Layoffs Begin at Federal Agencies, and We Found a True Hidden Gem of an Eritrean Restaurant
More Wet Weather, Trump Promises Federal Workforce Cuts, and Elon Musk Occupies the Oval Office
Lauren Boebert and Kid Rock Could Be the Perfect MAGA Power Couple