You may have already come across a movie featuring a majestic obelisk structure that rises to the sky and gazes up at other iconic monuments which stretch along the National Mall in Washington DC. It is the very well-known Washington Monument which stands between the Lincoln Memorial and the US Capitol building.

When talking of great leaders in US history, we sometimes refer to monuments, museums and statues to honor them. One of these US great leaders is Abraham Lincoln nicknamed “Honest Abe”, who was the 16th president of the United States. He has been dedicated a monument as a tribute to his great achievements during his term in office; a name that is no longer new for those who have already been to the National Mall for a tour or are only US history amateurs: “The grand Lincoln Memorial towers”. The Lincoln Memorial is a US national monument that lies on the western end of the National Mall, at the edge of the reflecting pool across from the Washington Monument. The memorial that has been built to honor Honest Abe depicts a neoclassical architecture inspired by ancient Greek temples.

Built as unique, built as a symbol

The building measures 190 feet long and 119 feet wide, with a height that almost reaches 100 feet. The exterior of the memorial is surrounded by a peristyle of 36 columns – an architectural style made of colonnade – representing one for each of the 36 states in America at the period of President Lincoln’s death, and by two columns in the form of parastas at the entrance behind the colonnade – an architectural term used to describe pillars on either side of a doorway or entrance like in Greek temple design.

From the outside, there are stairs leading inside the Memorial. The interior is split into three chambers by two rows of four classical architectural columns of 50 feet tall each. The central chamber houses the 175-ton statue of President Lincoln that measures 19-foot tall. Above the statue inscribed on the wall is a memorable quote written as follows: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever”. To the right and left sides of the statue also known as the north and south chambers are carved inscriptions of Lincoln’s second inaugural address and Gettysburg address. These are addresses that made President Lincoln among the most notable figures in US history. The Gettysburg address was a speech he delivered during the American civil war of 1863 and the inaugural address was delivered in 1865 during his second inauguration as US President, which occurred few months before his assassination. The construction of such a majestic monument was made by some talented people including the architect Henry Bacon, sculptor Daniel Chester French who designed Lincoln’s statue in the central chamber, and the Piccirilli Brothers, Italian carvers and sculptors, who carved the statue.

Since its inception, the Lincoln Memorial has become a symbol of US national identity and has served a site of many famous events such as the “The Great March on Washington” in 1963 led by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. That day on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he delivered his stirring historic speech “I have a dream”. As for today, it remains one of the major tourist attractions in the United States.

Sources: Washington DC / National Park Service (nps.gov)