of
Henderson County, Kentucky
GEORGE WASHINGTON BICENTENNIAL INFOLINE
July 1999
RENOVATION
Indeed, our eyes were not deceiving us--the Washington Monument does look different! It has been shrouded in scaffolding to allow for the restoration of the exterior of this famous tourist attraction. While this scaffolding has a utilitarian purpose, it is not just any scaffolding, but a work of art designed by the distinguished restoration architect and designer, Michael Graves. The scaffolding is freestanding and made of aluminum. To preserve the natural look of this historic edifice, the scaffolding is patterned to mimic the stone block pattern and shape of the monument itself. Thus, on television screens across the nation on July 4th, Americans could see the effects of this specially designed and created scaffolding. The magnificent lighting of this scaffolding, which enhances the artistic effect, was due in part to the donation of hundreds of light fixtures by General Electric, one of many corporate donors to this project.
The renovation of the Washington Monument will include cleaning the marble block exterior, repointing the joints of the structure and reglazing the observation windows that line the top of the monument. In addition, the many lightning rods attached to the building will be replaced. These rods are specially plated in gold and tipped in platinum to protect the marble from melted copper.
The marble blocks will be repaired as necessary. Cracks will be sealed with a mortar mix; broken stones will be patched. If stones are damaged so bad that a patch would not hold, the broken portions will be cut out and replaced by new marble. The marble replacement pieces are being sourced from stones taken from one of the two quarry sites used for the original marble blocks. Any stains to the marble blocks will be cleaned off. Years ago, copper guttering protected the observation windows. Even though this guttering was removed some time ago, the hardware holding the gutters had been left in place. This hardware and the stains caused by the copper gutters and hardware will be removed in the restoration process.
This exterior renovation is anticipated to be completed in the late Spring of 2000. It is projected to cost 9.4 million dollars. Much of this cost (about 5 million dollars) has already been defrayed by contributions from various corporate sponsors. Target Stores led in this effort and supplied 1.5 million dollars themselves; Congress has appropriated 1 million dollars.
The exterior renovation of the Washington Monument comes on the heels of a 1.9 million dollar project to improve the interior. New elevators as well as a new heating and air conditioning system have been installed.
On
July 4, 2000, the nation may again view the spectacular celebration of
our nation's birthday as it unfolds in Washington D.C. The background
for the fireworks will not be an enshrouded Washington Monument, but rather
a newly renovated one. The commitment of American taxpayers and companies
to upgrade and maintain this magnificent monument is a reaffirmation of
the place George Washington still has in "the hearts of his countrymen."
REFERENCES
Michael Kernan, Renovating Washington's Monument, Designer-style. Smithsonian 30 (3):30-31, June 1999.