Browse Items (200 total)
George Washington to Daniel Carroll of Duddington
In 1791, Daniel Carroll of Duddington, a District resident, was in the middle of an argument with Pierre Charles L'Enfant, city planner for the new capital. Carroll had built a house where L'Enfant wanted a road, but Carroll was reluctant to have it…
Lincoln Memorial Commission Report
In 1911 Congress appropriated funds and established a subcommittee within the Commission of Fine Arts to write a proposal for a memorial to President Abraham Lincoln. The committee undertook a national design competition for monument proposals. Their…
Henry Bacon's design for the Lincoln Memorial
In 1912 this design by Henry Bacon was selected as the winner of a national design competition for the Lincoln Memorial. His design was in the neoclassical style, inspired by the temples of Greece. The design also featured a 19 foot statue of…
John Russell Pope's Mayan Temple design for the Lincoln Memorial
In 1912 John Russell Pope submitted several entries to the design competition for the Lincoln Memorial. They were each unique. This proposal was for a Mayan Temple style monument to Lincoln which featured a large flame burning at the top of the…
John Russell Pope's design for the Lincoln Memorial, #1
In 1912 John Russell Pope submitted several entries to the design competition for the Lincoln Memorial. They were each distinct from one another. This submission was a unique pyramid design. Known as the Ziggurat Style, this style features middle…
Clark Mills's Design for a Lincoln Monument
In 1867, Congress formed the Lincoln Monument Association to commission a memorial for the late president. They chose this design by sculptor Clark Mills. Mills was known in Washington for designing a statue of Andrew Jackson that stands near the…
Hapgood's design for the Washington Monument
In 1877 Congress appropriated funds so that the building of the Washington Monument could continue. Budget problems had halted construction in 1854. But after sitting untouched for more than 20 years many worried that a new design was needed for the…
Latrobe's design for the Washington Monument
In 1799 Architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe submitted this proposal for the Washington Monument. The design was meant to be incorporated into the original design of Washington, DC, but budget problems prevented its construction. The plan included the…
Washington Monument repair and theft of lightning rod points
During the fall and winter months of 1934, the Washington Monument was prepped for repairs and cleaning, due to cracking at the base. Scaffolding was built around the 550-foot monument to allow the workers to make the repairs with Public Works…
Reflecting Pool reconstructed
Restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool began in November 2010. The two-year, $30.7 million renovation project almost completely rebuilt the structure. The 1923 original pool was built on an unstable foundation that sank and cracked. The…