The Washington Monument opened to the public, or at least most of it, on this day in 1888. Construction had begun four decades earlier, and after many modifications to bring down the costs and complexity of the obelisk, the effort was paused at the outbreak of the Civil War. Finally, in 1884, the capstone was placed. The actual opening of the monument was held up another four years for a very practical reason.
If you haven’t had the chance to visit in-person, this thing is big — the tallest manmade structure of its time, in fact. We’re talking 55 feet square at the base, and a smidge under 555 feet tall. That meant it took a lot of time and effort to get to the top observation deck. (Yes, you can go inside, and yes, you can look out on the city.)
From its 1885 dedication, you could technically ascend the monument, but only using a freight elevator, making for a less-than-awe-inspiring experience. For those able to easily climb the 897 steps needed to reach the top, good for you — you would have been allowed to walk up as early as 1886. But to do that in a reasonable time is effectively impossible for the vast majority of people, so it’s hard to say that the whole thing was “open to the public.” Plus, people had to walk up with only a candle to light the way. Between the dripping wax, burn marks, and vandalism, the government had no choice but to close the monument to prevent further damage in 1887.
In July of the next year, Congress finally appropriated funds to add a better elevator. It opened Oct. 9, 1888. Thousands had reached the top of the monument by this point, but the new lift meant many, many more could do it easily. For a long time after its opening, somewhere between 400 and 550 people took the ride every day. In 1889, over 50,000 people rode the elevator. Nowadays, the stairs are closed off.
