September 5, 2014

It’s a Hard Hat Life!

I had the opportunity to get up-close and personal with a landmark that I’ve seen all of my life – the Washington Monument in Baltimore. It’s actually older than its more well-known neighbour to the south in DC, and is getting ready to celebrate its 200th anniversary with a bit of a face lift.Picture1 Our tour was lead by my friend Dr. Lance Humphries, who is the head of the Mount Vernon Conservancy which is overseeing the restoration and renovation of this 180-foot high monument, capped with a 16-foot high statue of George Washington proffering his resignation to the Continental Congress.monument (2)

We started at the base of the monument, and got a good indication of why this restoration is necessary. Over 200 years, water has seeped between the marble stones, all quarried locally; iron “staples” intended to stabilize the building rusted and expanded, breaking the stones; years of heavy traffic driving by has shifted stones, and the Monument needed some help.

First, the building was surrounded by a huge scaffolding, and then pieces of marble surrounding the base of the monument were removed and numbered. monument (5)

Pieces of marble which had fallen off the base were recovered and replaced, using a specially formulated mortar.
monument (11) monument (12)

monument (109)We headed into the base of the monument, where Lance told us that so much water was continually trapped behind the cement that had been applied in an earlier restoration, that the stone was always wet.monument (22) Three days after removing the cement, the stones dried out. monument (20)

Only one of the niches had a permanent inhabitant, and that was a huge bust of George Washington, who has moved temporarily down the street to the Walters Art Museum. monument (24)There’s no record of what was in the other niches.

We then headed down into the vaults beneath the monument where a series of arches provide the support for the structure above. monument (29)

All of the brick- and stone-work had been covered with a plaster mix, but since it was in bad repair, it was removed… and signatures of the original workers from 1815-1819 were revealed.
monument (30) monument (33)

And proving that boys/men will be boys, there’s this bit of graffiti left by a worker! And yes, it is what you think it is! A  p e n I s (don’t want to attract the wrong elements here)!monument (34)

Now came the time of reckoning. Could I really go all the way to the top? If I had even the very slightest fear of heights (acrophobia), then I would never, ever have been able to do this jaunt.safe_image

The base was just like going up two flights of stairs… no big deal, except they were punched steel, open to the elements. The second section, up the side of the tower was in a construction elevator. Think a big cage going up and landing with a major thunk at about 150 feet. The final section, the top and then the statue, were via LADDERS! Vertical ladders going up through hatches in the platform. It took a little finesse trying to figure out where to put your hands and feet, especially when the top half of you ran out of rungs to hold on to!monument (50)Honestly, what was even worse was going down and trying to locate the first rung, which you can’t see, with your foot, and then taking your hands off the railings when there are no rungs! OMG! But I did it!n (I am hanging on because it’s breezy and the boards are uneven – I didn’t want to fall!)monument (66)monument (75)From each angle, the views were terrific. The Monument is at the top of a hill in the center of four beautiful parks.

Looking south towards the Inner Harbourmonument (92)

monument (51)Looking eastmonument (39)monument (52)Looking westmonument (94)monument (93)Looking northmonument (54)monument (53)

When we finally reached the top, I realized that it was worth it. Despite his age, George is in pretty good shape. He’s 16 feet high and was constructed in three pieces. Take a moment to realize that this was constructed in 1815, and how amazing it is that they were able to raise this marble statue 170 feet in the air!monument (49)

A lot of the detail has worn away, but much still remains. And most of it wouldn’t have been visible to a casual viewer in the 1800’s. monument (87)

His eyes are very detailed, even down to the iris.monument (88)

The top of his scroll would never have been seen, but it’s detailed all the same.monument (59)

You can still see his fingernails, another detail that would have been unseen.monument (60)

His epaulettes are also very detailedmonument (85)

And his pony-tail or cue is also well-defined. That’s a lightning rod running down his backmonument (74)

Here are the buttons on his coat.monument (61)

Thanks so much to Lance Humphries for leading us on the tour!monument (106)

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22 comments:

  1. A few years ago the kids and I climbed the stone spiral stairs inside the monument all the way up. My legs weren't the same again for a week. Steep and a little claustrophobic, but well worth the climb..... and the dollar each to get in.

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    1. I remember it hurt more coming down that going up, and when i got to the bottom, i was soooooo dizzy!

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    2. MUCH more !!! One forgets those muscles exist until they are overused...... Mike

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  2. Hi Meg, You are so much braver than I---I can't believe that you went all the way to the top! Thanks for the eagle's view. Beautiful.
    Mary

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  3. Meg you are a brave and adventurous woman, Bravo on making it to the top of this great monument for your historic city!

    xoxo
    Karena
    The Arts by Karena

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  4. Wow, Meg, you really are the intrepid one. How fun. The pictures are wonderful, and I am so glad they are restoring this monument. I especially enjoyed the George close-ups. Oh, and it's a queue (ponytail).

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  5. just loved the tour + your photos are fab. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

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  6. Hello Meg, I can't decide which part of this adventure was more interesting, the catacomb-like underpinnings, or the ladder-reached heights. I just read the monument article in Wikipedia, which provides some background and some interesting trivia, such as that the statue is mentioned in Moby Dick. The quote is worth repeating: "Great Washington, too, stands high aloft on his towering main-mast in Baltimore, and like one of Hercules' pillars, his column marks that point of human grandeur beyond which few mortals will go."
    --Jim

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    1. The underpinnings were fascinating! I had no idea they were there. The heights were indeed, quite high!

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  7. How many times have I driven by the monument, and never wondered whether the statue at the top had any definition whatsoever? Couldn't look at the photos of the view, as I DO suffer from horrible fear of heights, and even looking at the pictures made me woozy, especially after reading how you got to the top. Oy. Please tell us you'll be able to see it after the renovation is complete!

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    1. I am sure I will be able to see it - the head of the project is a good friend!

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  8. You are BRAVE!!!! I am terribly afraid of heights. And thanks for the underground tour!!!

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  9. Outstanding. You did a tremendous job documenting the undertaking of the restoration. The crew working on this project has such a gifted hand in the monumental task of preserving history. Thank you for sharing this incredible journey. Your blog is a delight. The generosity of your friends is felt and appreciated by your readers. I humbly say, Thank you very much.

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  10. What a wonderful adventure, although the thought of being on the top gives me the heebie-jeebies. So brave. When I was a little girl, about a million years ago, I learned to roller skate in the park around the monument. This brings back wonderful memories.

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  11. I love the care and exacting attention to detail that goes into historic restorations, whether it's a statue, an oil painting, or an entire building. The graffiti is so funny, too. Every generation thinks they are the first to invent a naughty sense of humor!

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