When it was originally built, they ran out of money. By the time construction was restarted 20 years later, the original quarry was no longer in operation.
[deleted] on
[deleted]
DatFoon on
Friendly reminder that not every Redditor is from the USA. The story here probably isn’t super common knowledge outside of US History classes.
RussiaIsBestGreen on
It’s the same stone, the lower stone is just discolored from people bouncing basketballs off of it back when they still had the hoops installed.
Few people know that Taft renamed it “The William Taft and George Washington Monument,” and then the name change was reversed back during the Wilson administration, requiring some bricks to be replaced.
Oh wait. That didn’t happen. Because it would have been *fucking ridiculous*.
spleeble on
The most interesting things about this is that it was possible for the government to *run out of money* for something as simple as a monument.
Things that people like to complain about like the national debt and the Federal Reserve system are the reason things like this don’t happen anymore.
TheKingPooPoo on
Biden’s fault I bet
cluttersky on
Sometimes locals tell tourists that was the high water mark of the Great Flood of 1895.
evilmonkey853 on
While it sat unfinished, what we now know as the mall was used primarily for grazing cattle. So, the monument got the nickname “The Beef Depot Monument”
FeloniousDrunk101 on
Me when pillaring up in Minecraft early game.
No-Consequence-3642 on
Old world building, global reset 300 years ago
LiveCommunication726 on
Fun fact, I built that ish
SynestheteB on
Seeing the crack across the monument was wild when the quake/cane happened. It took a long time to repair it. Going downtown and seeing a person repelling down one face of the monument while assessing damage was cool to see.
ActuallyAHamster on
Also mildly interesting: the Texas Quarry in suburban Baltimore County, MD, where some of the stone comes from, is still in operation. Even milder, there are tours of the quarry: [https://discoverbaltimorecounty.com/events/texas-quarry-tour/](https://discoverbaltimorecounty.com/events/texas-quarry-tour/)
Mrgray123 on
It’s okay you soon won’t be able to see the change once Trump slaps his name on it as well.
Nervous_Macaroon3101 on
You know, I could’ve sworn I saw a really weird looking tree branch poking out of one of the bricks… I think there was even some lightning or static, too.
Stressed-Dingo on
Having trouble with “40 meters” – how many hamburgers is that?
FlyingBike on
God forgot to wash the bottom of the Great American Buttplug
jtn19120 on
Ol two tone (stone) malone
imonarope on
Quantity surveyor definitely got a bollocking
THICCBOIJON on
When this was built, all the states sent a limestone block with their state’s name. At this time the Mormons were occupying what we called the Utah Territory but the Mormons called it “Deseret”. When the mormon controlled government of the Utah Territory sent their block they inscribed “Deseret”.
So there’s a block in the monument for a state that never actually existed.
Also Deseret means worker bee, a term Mormons applied to themselves cuz they were very good at building and working as a community.
axel_zen on
They didn’t have the Social Security fund to steal from.
Johnoplata on
It’s actually illegal to measure the monument in meters. Please multiply by 3.28 to convert to freedom feet.
Sorry, multiply means to use the X button in the calculator app.
terminalxposure on
You mean “The Trump Monument”
eTheBlack on
No, just texture quality of LODs
Loud_Distribution_97 on
I give it six months before Trump tries to stick his name on it.
TheYankeeFist on
Wasn’t this explained in a Spider-Man movie?
Nurgus on
The Donald Trump and The Washington Monument
TheGoblinPopper on
Oh I used to give tours of the capital! Everyone already knows the answer that construction/block sourcing changed. This is also a visual representation of why the quarry that sourced the blocks for the Pentagon was reopening after the 9/11 attack. They wanted to prevent a scarred exterior look.
Funnily enough coworkers have told me the on tour joke sometimes used is “yes the line is the high of a great flood back in the 1800s” most people laugh, a couple of people have gasped and it takes a minute for them to realize it was a joke.
QuestionStupidly on
Soon to be the “Trump-Washington Monument”
Raa03842 on
I wonder when orangehead will rename it Trump Tower?
RexiRocco on
When I was a kid I was told there was a flood that discolored the stones. I carried that incorrect knowledge around with me into adulthood.
thinkstopthink on
Now the monument to the _Great Orange Cunt_.
EstateImmediate on
Time for trump to rename it..
Oldredeye2 on
But has it been renamed “The Donald J. Trump Washington Monument” yet? 😂🤦♂️
oldbonhomme on
The Washington Monument is quite impressive. It’s interesting that it’s over 500 feet tall yet since there’s no comparative nearby structures it looks not nearly that tall.
fivepointkick on
Well yeah! It had to be rebuilt after Homecoming. Then again after Red Hulk..
Realistic-Tie-9497 on
Watermark
2u3e9v on
Leslie, this is a really cool penis, but Ben and April are meeting us at the Smithsonian in 10 minutes.
cavaluzhi on
How long before the slap Trump’s name on it?
Spear_Ritual on
Trump will probably put his name on it. Or paint it gold.
The quarry from which the first section of sandstone came is now a park, with walking trails around the remnants. It’s an hour or so south of DC, in Stafford County.
Aquia sandstone was also used in the White House, US Capitol, Gunston Hall, Mount Vernon, and many other sites in the area.
Well yeah, do you not remember when the special tree that is contained inside of it broke out bent over and fired a bunch of electricity through it? It was all over the news, even president dean talked about it!
Califrisco on
I’m just terrified for it to be gilded and a giant golden “T” carved into the side of it.
48 Comments
When it was originally built, they ran out of money. By the time construction was restarted 20 years later, the original quarry was no longer in operation.
[deleted]
Friendly reminder that not every Redditor is from the USA. The story here probably isn’t super common knowledge outside of US History classes.
It’s the same stone, the lower stone is just discolored from people bouncing basketballs off of it back when they still had the hoops installed.
The inside has a number of mismatched stones as well. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD2rAkiMgR0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD2rAkiMgR0)
Few people know that Taft renamed it “The William Taft and George Washington Monument,” and then the name change was reversed back during the Wilson administration, requiring some bricks to be replaced.
Oh wait. That didn’t happen. Because it would have been *fucking ridiculous*.
The most interesting things about this is that it was possible for the government to *run out of money* for something as simple as a monument.
Things that people like to complain about like the national debt and the Federal Reserve system are the reason things like this don’t happen anymore.
Biden’s fault I bet
Sometimes locals tell tourists that was the high water mark of the Great Flood of 1895.
While it sat unfinished, what we now know as the mall was used primarily for grazing cattle. So, the monument got the nickname “The Beef Depot Monument”
Me when pillaring up in Minecraft early game.
Old world building, global reset 300 years ago
Fun fact, I built that ish
Seeing the crack across the monument was wild when the quake/cane happened. It took a long time to repair it. Going downtown and seeing a person repelling down one face of the monument while assessing damage was cool to see.
Also mildly interesting: the Texas Quarry in suburban Baltimore County, MD, where some of the stone comes from, is still in operation. Even milder, there are tours of the quarry: [https://discoverbaltimorecounty.com/events/texas-quarry-tour/](https://discoverbaltimorecounty.com/events/texas-quarry-tour/)
It’s okay you soon won’t be able to see the change once Trump slaps his name on it as well.
You know, I could’ve sworn I saw a really weird looking tree branch poking out of one of the bricks… I think there was even some lightning or static, too.
Having trouble with “40 meters” – how many hamburgers is that?
God forgot to wash the bottom of the Great American Buttplug
Ol two tone (stone) malone
Quantity surveyor definitely got a bollocking
When this was built, all the states sent a limestone block with their state’s name. At this time the Mormons were occupying what we called the Utah Territory but the Mormons called it “Deseret”. When the mormon controlled government of the Utah Territory sent their block they inscribed “Deseret”.
So there’s a block in the monument for a state that never actually existed.
Also Deseret means worker bee, a term Mormons applied to themselves cuz they were very good at building and working as a community.
They didn’t have the Social Security fund to steal from.
It’s actually illegal to measure the monument in meters. Please multiply by 3.28 to convert to freedom feet.
Sorry, multiply means to use the X button in the calculator app.
You mean “The Trump Monument”
No, just texture quality of LODs
I give it six months before Trump tries to stick his name on it.
Wasn’t this explained in a Spider-Man movie?
The Donald Trump and The Washington Monument
Oh I used to give tours of the capital! Everyone already knows the answer that construction/block sourcing changed. This is also a visual representation of why the quarry that sourced the blocks for the Pentagon was reopening after the 9/11 attack. They wanted to prevent a scarred exterior look.
Funnily enough coworkers have told me the on tour joke sometimes used is “yes the line is the high of a great flood back in the 1800s” most people laugh, a couple of people have gasped and it takes a minute for them to realize it was a joke.
Soon to be the “Trump-Washington Monument”
I wonder when orangehead will rename it Trump Tower?
When I was a kid I was told there was a flood that discolored the stones. I carried that incorrect knowledge around with me into adulthood.
Now the monument to the _Great Orange Cunt_.
Time for trump to rename it..
But has it been renamed “The Donald J. Trump Washington Monument” yet? 😂🤦♂️
The Washington Monument is quite impressive. It’s interesting that it’s over 500 feet tall yet since there’s no comparative nearby structures it looks not nearly that tall.
Well yeah! It had to be rebuilt after Homecoming. Then again after Red Hulk..
Watermark
Leslie, this is a really cool penis, but Ben and April are meeting us at the Smithsonian in 10 minutes.
How long before the slap Trump’s name on it?
Trump will probably put his name on it. Or paint it gold.
Once you see it, you can never unsee it.
Check out the Masonic laying of the cornerstone
https://www.freemason.com/george-washington-masonic-memorial/#:~:text=George%20Washington%2C%20in%20particular%2C%20stands,the%20United%20States%20of%20America.
The quarry from which the first section of sandstone came is now a park, with walking trails around the remnants. It’s an hour or so south of DC, in Stafford County.
Aquia sandstone was also used in the White House, US Capitol, Gunston Hall, Mount Vernon, and many other sites in the area.
https://staffordcountyva.gov/business_detail_T12_R576.php
I’m sorry 40 what???
Well yeah, do you not remember when the special tree that is contained inside of it broke out bent over and fired a bunch of electricity through it? It was all over the news, even president dean talked about it!
I’m just terrified for it to be gilded and a giant golden “T” carved into the side of it.