Build Your Own Adventure: Fix the Foundation

About This Activity

Build Your Own Adventure: Washington Monument is an fun, online activity to learn more about what it took to build the Washington Monument. You choose what to do at each stage and discover the fascinating real-life twists and turns in the history of building this iconic monument to George Washington. 

Start at the beginning or continue with your adventure on this page. 

The reinforced foundation of the Washington Monument

National Park Service

You Chose: Fix the Foundation.

Onward and Upward! It might take four years, but workers are sure they can successfully beef up the base of the Washington Monument without causing any damage to the rest of the structure. But to do it, they also suggest a change. To increase stability as well as to more closely resemble the dimensions of a historic Egyptian obelisk, the Army Corps of Engineers decides that the height of the monument should be ten times the width of the base. This means that that the Washington Monument will stand at 555 feet, not 600. It will still be the highest stone structure in the world!

To build upward, though, the workers need stone. Marble to be exact. You quickly discover that the quarry that supplied the stone for the original marble blocks from 1848 until 1854 is no longer available. That leaves you with two options. There is a quarry in Lee, Massachusetts that has marble available at a great price. But there's one problem: the color of the Massachusetts stone might not match the marble blocks already in place. Another option is a quarry just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. That's a lot closer to Washington, D.C., so it will be easier to transport. The Maryland stone may also be a closer color match, but it will be more expensive.

Which quarry will you choose to finish the Washington Monument?

Your Turn to Build

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  Color change? No big deal

  Massachusetts Marble

  Using marble from Lee, Massachusetts will save money. The color change will probably not be noticeable--you hope.

• 

  Pay more for a better match

  Maryland Marble

  Spend the extra money for a better color match from a closer quarry

• 

  Try Again

  Back to the Beginning

  Start the build over again. Return to the first article in the series.