Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial is a major national monument in Washington, D.C.

It honors Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. The memorial sits at the western end of the National Mall. It is built in a neoclassical style. This style mimics the look of a classical Greek temple.

The structure is made of white Yule marble from Colorado. It serves as a place to remember Lincoln's leadership. It also acts as a symbolic center for civil rights and race relations. More than seven million people visit the site every year.

The exterior of the memorial features many specific architectural details. A peristyle of 36 fluted Doric columns surrounds the building. These columns represent the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death. Each column is built from 12 separate drums. The columns are slightly inclined toward the interior of the building. This design corrects a perspective distortion. Without this tilt, the memorial might look like it bulges at the top. Above the columns, a frieze contains the names of the 36 original states. These names are separated by wreath medallions in bas-relief.

Inside the memorial, the space is divided into three distinct chambers. Two rows of four Ionic columns separate these rooms. The central chamber is the largest and most important. It houses a massive statue of Abraham Lincoln. This statue was designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French. The Piccirilli brothers carved the figure out of marble.

The north and south chambers serve different purposes. They display carved inscriptions of Lincoln's most famous speeches. These include the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address. Evelyn Beatrice Longman created the ornamentation near these inscriptions.

The journey to build the memorial took many decades. People wanted a national monument for Lincoln shortly after his death in 1865. Early attempts to create a monument were not successful. In 1867, Congress formed a commission to plan a memorial. An artist named Clark Mills proposed a design with many statues. However, there was not enough money to finish his plan. The project stayed dormant for many years. In 1910, Senate Bill 9449 finally passed to create a new commission.

This allowed the project to move forward under the leadership of Senator Shelby M. Cullom.

Construction began in earnest after 1913. Architect Henry Bacon designed the Greek temple structure. Some people argued the design was too grand for Lincoln's humble character. Others thought the site in West Potomac Park was too swampy. The commission chose the site because it sat on the axis between the Washington Monument and the Capitol.

On February 12, 1914, Henry Bacon and others held a groundbreaking ceremony. The memorial was officially dedicated on May 30, 1922.

Chief Justice William Howard Taft led the ceremony. President Warren G. Harding accepted the memorial for the American people. Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln, also attended the event.

Since its dedication, the memorial has hosted many historic events. In 1939, the singer Marian Anderson performed on the steps. This occurred after she was denied a performance at Constitution Hall. In 1947, President Harry Truman addressed the NAACP at the memorial. This was the first time a president spoke to that group. The site became a major center for the Civil Rights Movement. On August 28, 1963, about 250,000 people gathered for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

During this rally, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He stood on the landing eighteen steps below the statue. This spot was later engraved in 2003 to honor the event.

The memorial is now part of a larger system of national landmarks. It is administered by the National Park Service. It is grouped with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the World War II Memorial. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 2007, the American Institute of Architects ranked it seventh on a list of favorite architecture. The memorial remains open to the public 24 hours a day. It continues to connect the history of the presidency to the ongoing struggle for civil rights.