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No visit to Washington is complete without paying some sort of tribute to the great man, Abraham Lincoln. He was shot by John Wilkes in Ford's Theatre on April 14th, 1865, and died the following day. It was over forty years before the design and precise location of this fitting monument, to a very well-loved president, was decided on. Construction began in 1914, on the eve of World War I, and was not completed until 1922, when Henry Beacon's Greek temple was dedicated. The building itself was extremely well thought out, and expresses a great deal of symbolism. There are 36 columns which signify the number of states in the Union when Lincoln died. The 48 names of the states in the Union at the time of the structures dedication are inscribed around the cornice of the building. The 5.8m statue of the man is made of marble, and was sculpted by Daniel Chester French. The details of the monuments construction can be found in a small but informative museum on the lower level. The south and north walls are inscribed with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. It was on these steps that Martin Luther King bellowed his famous speech, "I have a dream". The fascinating memorial is located at 23rd Street NW, and opens from 8am to midnight. Admission is free. |