L I N C O L N M E M O R I A L
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Memorial: #5

Dedicated: Memorial Day 1922.

Visitation: 4,046,346 (FY 2004)

Annual Budget: $2,086,000

Highlights: Massive marble statue of Abraham Lincoln, Greek architecture, large interior inscriptions, embraces the dual themes of Social Justice and National Unity.

Lowlights: Troubled history of embracing the Social Justice aspect of its design.

Location: National Mall, Washington, D.C, due west of the Reflecting Pool.

Hours: Open daily, 8am to midnight, closed December 25.

Admission: Free!

Link: Official Website

Rating: (5 max)

In the distance, across the Reflecting Pool, I see the Lincoln Memorial. The Reflecting Pool is actually part of the Lincoln Memorial. Funny, I used to think it was part of the Washington Monument because it does such a bang-up job in reflecting the 555-foot tall obelisk. Measuring 2,029 feet long and 167 feet wide, surprisingly the pool is fairly shallow; 18 inches on the sides, 30 inches in the center. Approximately 6,750,000 gallons of water fills the pool.

I make my way to the front of the Memorial. Sitting atop 6.3 acres, the exterior of the Memorial measures 188 feet wide by 118 feet deep. Standing almost 100 feet, the Memorial's columns are 44 feet high by 7 feet in diameter. The exterior is made from Colorado Yule marble.