Existing comment:
Designing Baltimore's Washington Monument:
In 1813, the Washington Monument's Board of Managers held a competition to find the best design for the nation's first monument to President George Washington. Distinguished architects from Europe and the United States submitted a variety of designs, including triumphal arches, obelisks, and even an Egyptian-style pyramid.
South Carolinian architect Robert Mills' pagoda-like design was chosen for its reverence of Washington's legacy. He had envisioned a columnar structure marked by text and graphical panels detailing the events of the American Revolution and Washington's presidency, which could be viewed from balconies at difference [sic] levels of the monument. A ground breaking ceremony was held on July 4, 1815, and construction continued for nearly 15 years.
Over the course of construction, Mills design was streamlined due to budget restrictions. The elaborate ornamentation and engravings were eliminated resulting in the grand column which stands today. This, however, may have more accurately reflected the Revolutionary War hero's stoic sensibilities. |