, c. 1776 Washington's face and image are often used as national symbols of the United States, along with the icons such as the flag and great seal. Perhaps the most pervasive commemoration of his legacy is the use of his image on the
one-dollar bill and the
quarter-dollar coin. Washington, together with
Theodore Roosevelt,
Thomas Jefferson, and
Abraham Lincoln, is depicted in stone at the
Mount Rushmore Memorial. Starting with victory in their Revolution, there were many proposals to build a monument to Washington. After his death, Congress authorized a suitable memorial in the national capital, but the decision was reversed when the Democratic-Republicans took control of Congress in 1801. The Democratic-Republicans were dismayed that Washington had become the symbol of the Federalist Party; furthermore, the values of Republicanism seemed hostile to the idea of building monuments to powerful men. Further political squabbling, along with the north–south division on the Civil War, blocked the completion of the Washington Monument until the late 19th century. By that time, Washington had the image of a national hero who could be celebrated by both North and South, and memorials to him were no longer controversial. Predating the obelisk on the National Mall by several decades, the
first public memorial to Washington was built by the citizens of
Boonsboro, Maryland, in 1827. , c. 1932 Many things have been
named in honor of Washington. George Washington is the namesake of the nation's capital,
Washington, D.C., and the state of
Washington, the only state to be named for a president. The
Washington Monument, one of the most well-known American landmarks, was built in his honor. A variety of
colleges and universities, throughout the United States, are named for George Washington. The
United States Navy has
named three ships after Washington. The
George Washington Bridge, which extends between
New York City and
New Jersey, and the
palm tree genus
Washingtonia, are also named after him. A bronze statue of Washington stands in
London at the
National Gallery, a gift from the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are many other "Washington Monuments" in the United States, including two well-known equestrian statues, one in Manhattan and one in Richmond, Virginia. The first statue to show Washington on horseback was dedicated in 1856 and is located in Manhattan's Union Square. The second statue is known as either the Virginia Washington Monument or as the George Washington Equestrian Statue and was unveiled in 1858. It was the second American statue of Washington on horseback A
marble statue of Washington was made from life by sculptor
Jean-Antoine Houdon, and now sits in the Rotunda of the State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. A duplicate, one of 22 bronze exact replicas, was given to the British in 1921 by the Commonwealth of Virginia and now stands in front of the
National Gallery at
Trafalgar Square.
Washington Square Arch (1892) in
Washington Square Park, NYC, is perhaps the nation's most prominent monument celebrating the centennial of Washington's inauguration. In 1917 the
886 Washingtonia asteroid was named in his honor.
Washington Monument, 1855 The
Federal City (
Washington D.C.), during Washington's lifetime, was originally designed for the place of Washington's memorial. Architect
Pierre L'Enfant had specifically set apart land space for a monument to Washington, southwest of the Capital and the White House. The city was completed in 1800 and incorporated officially taking on Washington's name. After Washington's death in December 1799, Congress made no appropriations for Washington's marble monument, although it had pledged to do so. For three decades, funding still had not been granted by Congress for Washington's memorial. This created a public outcry and upset many who believed it was time to honor the first President of the United States, and in 1833 the private
Washington National Monument Society was formed. The
Society solicited funding from private donors and set out to build the monument, without Congressional funding. In 1845, the
Society chose
Robert Mills's design, an expensive, lavish Egyptian obelisk, 600 feet tall, that would contain thirty 100-foot base columns. Work began on the monument on July 4, 1848. An 80-square-foot pyramid underground foundation was built followed by a 55-feet 1.5-inch marble base. By 1854, the tower had reached 156 feet above the ground, however, due to lack of funding, further construction was stopped. Throughout the
American Civil War, the memorial stood incomplete, while Congress for another decade refused to take over the project. It was not until July 5, 1876, under the Presidency of
Ulysses S. Grant, that Congress finally passed a law to take over the funding and building of Washington's memorial. On December 6, 1884, a 3,300-pound capstone was placed on top of the tower, and Washington's memorial was finally complete. Although design changes took place, the finished memorial stood at 555 feet tall, ten times the width of the base, making it the tallest tower in the world. The thirty ornate 100-foot base columns were scrapped for aesthetic and cost reasons. The monument was officially dedicated on February 21, 1885. On August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude
earthquake struck 95 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. On the memorial's observation deck, visitors were tossed around from the shaking, while falling
mortar and stone debris caused minor injuries. No one was seriously hurt and all safely exited from inside the monument. However, the memorial and park were closed to the public due to the earthquake. Thirty-two months later, on March 12, 2014, the memorial was open to visitors again after repair work allowed visitors to ascend to the observation deck.
Elevator issues left visitors and employees stranded, having to walk down the stairs, and the park was closed to the public indefinitely on August 17, 2016. The monument was scheduled to open again to the public during the spring of 2019. Reopening was then delayed until at least August 2019 for mitigation of possibly contaminated underground soil thought to have been introduced in the 1880s.
Mount Rushmore, 1941 ,
Shrine of Democracy, Washington on the left In 1923, historian
Doane Robinson had developed an idea to make a gigantic sculpture on the Black Hills of
South Dakota. In August 1924, Robinson contacted by letter and requested renowned sculptor
Gutzon Borglum to visit South Dakota and talk to him about creating a mountain sculpture. Robinson had been impressed by Borglum's Confederate memorial on Stone Mountain. Borglum agreed to work on the project and met with Robinson twice in September 1924 and in August 1925. On his second visit Borglum searched for a location suitable for a gigantic sculpture and found
Mount Rushmore, composed of
granite, named after a New York attorney Charles E. Rushmore. Four prominent presidents were chosen for the sculptor to bring national recognition, including
George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson,
Theodore Roosevelt, and
Abraham Lincoln. Washington was chosen to represent a "light for liberty and the birth of the Republic." Washington was believed to upheld rights for the common citizen. The project began on August 10, 1927, and implemented innovative blasting and drilling techniques on a large scale. Lack of funding, however, extended the memorial's creation to 14 years, but in real time, it took years of difficult and dangerous work to complete the gigantic sculpture. It took 400 men to build the memorial, remarkably, no one was killed in the process. The surface of the stone sculpture was finished to the smooth surface of a concrete sidewalk. The project cost $989,992.32 and was finished in October 1941. $836,000 in federal funding was used while private donations made up the difference. As the first United States President, under the Constitution, Washington's portrait was the first to be sculpted on a grand scale. Honored among presidents, he was chosen to be displayed in front of the other three chosen presidents. Washington was believed to have stood for the cause of liberty during the
American Revolution. Washington was held in high esteem, and believed to have stood for holding office with "
dignity,
prudence, and respect," and was an example for other Presidents to follow. Robinson was considered the "Father of Mount Rushmore." John Boland raised and kept track of funding for Mount Rushmore. Boland was introduced to the Mount Rushmore project in 1925 through Robinson. During lean times Boland kept the Mount Rushmore project from stalling and worked with unpaid creditors. Congressman
William Williamson (
South Dakota) was the driving force behind the federal funding for the Mount Rushmore project. Williams convinced President
Calvin Coolidge to travel to the Black Hills in 1927. U.S. Senator
Peter Norbeck (
South Dakota) kept the Mount Rushmore project going in times when federal funding was sparse.
Places Many places and entities have been
named in honor of Washington. Washington's name became that of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., one of two national capitals across the globe to be named after an American president (the other is
Monrovia, Liberia). The state of
Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president.
George Washington University and
Washington University in St. Louis were named for him, as was
Washington and Lee University (once Washington Academy), which was renamed due to Washington's large endowment in 1796.
Washington College in
Chestertown, Maryland (established by Maryland state charter in 1782) was supported by Washington during his lifetime with a 50
guineas pledge, and with service on the college's Board of Visitors and Governors until 1789 (when Washington was elected president). According to the US Census Bureau's 1993 geographic data, Washington is the 17th most common street name in the United States, and the only person's name so honored among the twenty most-common street names. ==Centennial celebration==