A Brief History of the World's Tallest Buildings
The Washington Monument
Towering above Washington, D.C., at just over 555 ft. (169 m) is the Washington Monument — a tribute to the nation's first President and his military prowess during the Revolutionary War. Architect Robert Mills' conception of a neoclassical rotunda topped by a towering obelisk won the competition to design the monument; construction started in 1848. A lack of funds, haphazard organization and the outbreak of the Civil War caused several delays, however, and by the time construction started up again, architectural tastes and styles had changed and Mills had passed away. His original design was heavily altered and an unadorned, pointed Egyptian obelisk prevailed — thanks in part to George P. Marsh, the U.S. ambassador to Italy and a design adviser for the monument, who had spent time living in Egypt and was influenced by the many Egyptian obelisks scattered throughout Rome. By 1884 the structure was complete; today, visitors who take an elevator to the top can enjoy unobstructed, 30-mile (48 km) views of the U.S. capital.