The Lincoln Memorial under construction, 1920. Daniel Chester French worked with the Piccirilli Brothers to bring his vision of the statue to fruition.
National Archives, Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital
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The third casting consisting of three figures is brought into position to be bolted to the other three members of the six men comprising the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in 1954.
Cpl. Donald M. Sutton, Defense Dept. Photo (Marine Corps) A400849
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The 19-foot-6-inch, 15,000 pound Statue of Freedom, cost $780,000 to restore and repair. It was returned to its pedestal atop the Capitol Dome in September of 1993.
Jack E. Boucher, 1993, Library of Congress
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The Arlington Memorial Bridge was under construction from 1926 to 1932.
By Harris & Ewing, Library of Congress
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On May 9, 1993, the Statue of Freedom was airlifted from the top of the Capitol to be fully restored. It was replaced a few months later in September to coincide with the bicentennial of the laying of the Capitol’s first cornerstone.
Jack E. Boucher, 1993, Library of Congress
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Aerial view of the Washington Monument with scaffolding, January 1935.
Harris & Ewing, Library of Congress
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Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial under construction.
Harris & Ewing, 1919, Library of Congress
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The Jefferson Memorial under construction around 1940. Work began in 1938 and it was dedicated on Jefferson's 200th birthday, April 13, 1943.
By Harris & Ewing, Library of Congress
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In 1947, the permanent statue is brought in through the columns that surround the Jefferson Memorial.
National Park Service
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A temporary plaster statue was created and installed during WWII when bronze was not readily available. In April, 1947, the temporary statue is disassembled in the Jefferson Memorial prior to the permanent bronze statue being installed.
National Park Service
Walking on the National Mall, around the Tidal Basin or along historic Pennsylvania Avenue, it can be difficult to imaging that Washington, D.C. was little more than wilderness and plantations when George Washington selected it to be the home of our nation’s capital in 1791. Washington chose Pierre L’Enfant to design the capital city and L'Enfant quickly selected the site for the legislature to meet at the raised area where the U.S. Capital sits today, on the east end of the National Mall. He called the land, "a pedestal waiting for a monument." The building held the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court, until the latter two moved to buildings of their own in the 19th century.
Grand parks and green spaces were all part of L’Enfant’s detailed plan, but the National Mall didn't take its current form until the turn of the 20th century with the creation of the McMillan Commission. The group's members helped pass legislation extending the National Mall west and south of the Washington Monument, providing land for the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials and the vast green spaces visitors enjoy today. Over time, the Federal City has become home to the historic buildings, inspirational monuments and somber memorials.
Erin Corneliussen is a multimedia intern at Smithsonian.com.
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