Workers set the capstone on top of the Washington Monument on
Dec. 6, 1884.

On this day in 1884, in Washington, D.C., workers (above) place a nine-inch aluminum pyramid atop a tower of white marble, completing the construction
of an impressive monument to the city’s namesake and the nation’s first
president, George Washington. As early as 1783, the infant U.S. Congress
decided that a statue of George Washington, the great Revolutionary War
general, should be placed near the site of the new Congressional building, wherever it might be. After then-President Washington asked him to lay out
a new federal capital on the Potomac River in 1791, architect Pierre L’Enfant
left a place for the statue at the western end of the sweeping National Mall
(near the monument’s present location).

It wasn’t until 1832, however–33 years after Washington’s death–that anyone
really did anything about the monument. That year, a private Washington
National Monument Society was formed. After holding a design competition
and choosing an elaborate Greek temple-like design by architect Robert Mills,
the society began a fundraising drive to raise money for the statue’s
construction.

The Washington Monument is under construction in 1859 in
Washington D.C.

The Washington Monument in 1888, the year it was
open to the public.

The Monument reopened to the public in September after a three-
year closure for elevator repairs and other updates.