In 1876 after sitting uncompleted for almost twenty years Congress passed a joint resolution taking charge of the
completion of the monument. Taking control of the land and monument back from the
Washington National Monument Society who had run out of funds shortly after construction began in 1854. In this image
workers can be see fortifying the base of the monument. Now controlled by the federal government, the design of the monument became the
more simple Egyptian style obelisk which appears today.