Across the United States stand monuments to America’s first president, George Washington. One of the most unique and earliest major monuments to Washington was constructed in Baltimore, Maryland.
On July 4, 1815, the cornerstone was laid for the Washington Monument in Baltimore. It was designed by architect Robert Mills, whose design was chosen in 1814 as part of an architectural competition with a $500 prize (Mills later designed the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.). The monument was built on land donated by Maryland patriot John Eager Howard, which was part of his estate known as “Belvidere.” Construction lasted 14 years and the masonry work was not completed until 1829! In June 1817, while construction was ongoing, President James Monroe even visited the monument.
Upon its completion in 1829, the marble monument stood at a height of 178 feet 8 inches, and was comprised of three sections: a square base (housing a gallery), a plain column, and on top a statue of George Washington. The statue depicts Washington resigning his commission (which he did in Annapolis, Maryland) and was carved by Enrico Causici, who had also carved reliefs for the U.S. Capitol building. Inside, 227 marble steps take visitors to the top for a view of the city.
In the 1830s, bronze inscriptions describing major moments in Washington’s career were placed on all four sides of the monument base (former presidents John Quincy Adams assisted in the wording for these inscriptions). In 1838, a cast iron fence was placed around the monument, which still stands. In 1843, a marble sculpture (bust) of George Washington was placed inside the galley of the monument and is still displayed there to this day.
Today, Baltimore’s Washington Monument remains the centerpiece at the intersection of Washington Place and Mount Vernon Place. Across from the monument stands an bronze equestrian statue of the Marquis de Lafayette. This beautiful statue was designed by Andrew O’Connor and dedicated on September 6, 1924.
