On this day in 1884, the capstone was set atop the Washington Monument.

It weighed 100 ounces, and was the the largest single piece of aluminum cast to that time.

Prior to its delivery to Washington, the capstone had been exhibited at Tiffany's in New York City. It had been placed on the floor, and visitors could "jump over the top of the Washington Monument." Engraved on its four sies was the official record of the monument's construction.

George Washington's unique place in history was widely recognized. It was in 1800 that a proposal was first developed to construct a "mausoleum of American granite and marble, in pyramidal form 100 feet square at the base and of proportionate height" to honor Washington's memory.

$200,000 was appropriated by the House in 1801 for the construction of such a mausoleum, but the Senate opposed the measure. The idea didn't come back into legislative view until 1816, and then again in 1832, when Congress considered the placing of a tomb for Washington's remains in the Capitol building. Members of Washington's family refused to permit his remains to be moved from his Mount Vernon estate, where the late President had specifically requested he be interred.

Finally, after Baltimore erected a monument of its own, funded with a combination of donations, lottery, and State money, the idea of a Washington Monument began to take shape. The Washington Memorial Society was formed in 1833, and included several prominent figures, including Chief Justices and former Presidents. The Society appointed collection agents for the States and Territories. It advertised for competitive designs. Many sketches were received, but it was Robert Mills' design that was chosen. Mills had also built the Baltimore memorial. Mills, only 29 at the time, had recently been appointed as the U.S' first Federal architect - he would go on to design such landmarks as the U.S. Patent Office and the Treasury Building.

Mills' original design included:
- A circular base, with a temple-like building 100 feet tall (200' in diameter)
- Statues at the outer ring (Declaration of Independence signers, Washington, Revolutionary War heroes)
- In the center of the rotunda, a four-sided obelisk, 600 feet tall, with a "railway" to transport visitors to the top.

Mills called it a "National Pantheon," and estimated construction costs at $1 million.

Cost concerns resulted in the initial lowering of the planned height of the obelisk to 500 feet, and the tabling of the rotunda.

Finally, in 1848, Congress granted a 37-acre site to the Society for the Monument's construction. The project was delayed due to funding concerns and the Civil War, and Mills never got to see the monument completed; he died nearly 30 years earlier.


Washington Memorial Facts:
- Largest masonry structure in the world, at 550 ft. high (The Army Corps of Engineers may have prevented disaster; their assessment that foundation would not be sufficient for the planned 600-ft structure resulted in the lowering of the planned Monument to that height)

Base width: 55 feet 1 1/2 inches

Thickness of monument walls at base: 15 feet

Number of blocks in monument: 36,491

Cornerstone laid: July 4, 1848

Capstone set: December 6, 1884

Officially opened to the public: October 9, 1888

Cost: $1,187,710

The monument features many historic stones donated by states and other organizations, including Alaska's 3 x 5 green jade stone.

For more information:
Washington Monument - A History

Washington Monument - Memorial Stones

Washington Monument - Experience the Monument

Washington Monument at EnchantedLearning.com

Wikipedia: Washington Monument

Washington Monument at America's Library