The Washington Monument usually refers to the large white-colored obelisk at the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. It is a United States Presidential Memorial constructed for George Washington, the first President of the United States and the leader of the revolutionary Continental Army, which won independence from the British following the American Revolutionary War.

The monument is made of marble, granite, and sandstone. It was designed by Robert Mills, a prominent American architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848, but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect’s death. This hiatus in construction was due to lack of funds and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble (visible approximately 45 m/150 feet up) clearly delineates the initial construction from its resumption in 1876.

At the time of its construction it was the tallest building in the world. It is still the tallest building in Washington D.C., and due to a 1910 law restricting new buildings’ height to be no more than 20 feet (6 m) greater than the width of the street they’re on, probably always will be (there is a popular misconception that the law specifies that no building may be taller than the Washington Monument, but in fact the law makes no mention of it).[3] Ordinary antique obelisks were seldom taller than around 100 feet (30 m), making this monument vastly taller than the obelisks around the capitals of Europe and in Egypt. (wikipedia)

We at New America Media are in Washington D.C. to honor the best of Ethnic Awards at the First National NAM Awards.