Washington, D.C.: Built During a War

The Washington Monument sat half-finished for 23 years, a stub of stone rising out of a swamp. The Capitol dome was still under scaffolding when Lincoln took his first oath of office.

This guide covers why the monument stopped mid-build, why the Capitol dome kept rising during the Civil War, and why the city's original designer got fired before construction even started.

Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, established on July 16, 1790, when Congress authorized a federal district along the Potomac River. Its most famous monuments took far longer than expected to finish: the Washington Monument stood unfinished for 23 years before construction resumed, and the U.S. Capitol's cast-iron dome was completed in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War.

In this article

• Quick Facts ↓
• Why the Capital Almost Didn't Get Built ↓
• The Monument That Took 40 Years ↓
• A Dome Finished in the Middle of a War ↓
• FAQ ↓

Washington, D.C. Quick Facts

Why the Capital Almost Didn't Get Built

Washington, D.C. exists because of a political compromise, not a natural city location. Congress passed the Residence Act in 1790, authorizing a new federal district along the Potomac River, and President George Washington personally selected the exact site, swampy, sparsely populated land straddling Maryland and Virginia. He hired French-born engineer Pierre L'Enfant in 1791 to design a bold, European-style capital of grand avenues and monumental vistas, a plan far more ambitious than the rough terrain suggested.

L'Enfant never saw his own plan built. He refused to follow the city commissioners' instructions and clashed with them repeatedly over control of the project, and by February 1792 he'd been dismissed and left the job, taking his working drawings with him. Surveyor Andrew Ellicott finished the plan using his own copies of L'Enfant's work, and construction crawled forward for decades after that, with the half-built capital regularly mocked by visitors as a muddy, unfinished backwater rather than a proper world capital.

The Monument That Took 40 Years

A Cornerstone With No Finish Date

The Washington Monument's cornerstone went down in 1848, funded almost entirely through private donations collected by the Washington National Monument Society, since Congress hadn't committed federal money to the project. That funding model was slow by nature, and it left the monument's actual completion date wide open from the very start.

Sabotage Stopped Construction Cold

In 1854, members of the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party broke into the construction site and threw a marble block, a gift from the Pope, into the Potomac River. Fundraising collapsed in the aftermath, and between funding problems and the outbreak of the Civil War, construction stopped entirely for 23 years, leaving a 150-foot stump of stone standing in the middle of the capital.

A Stripe You Can Still See Today

When construction finally resumed in 1877, the original Maryland quarry that supplied the monument's marble was no longer available, so builders switched to marble from a Massachusetts quarry instead. That switch created a visible color change in the stone about 150 feet up, a stripe still visible on the monument today. The Washington Monument was finally completed in 1884, reaching 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches, and briefly held the record as the world's tallest structure until the Eiffel Tower surpassed it five years later, in 1889.

A Dome Finished in the Middle of a War

A Cast-Iron Dome Twice the Original Plan

The U.S. Capitol's original dome was smaller and made of wood covered in copper. Architect Thomas U. Walter redesigned it in the 1850s as a much larger cast-iron structure, using roughly 8.9 million pounds of iron, and rebuilt it as a double dome so a planned statue could sit at its peak without making the exterior look disproportionate. Congress approved the redesign almost as soon as they saw Walter's sketches.

Lincoln's Order to Keep Building

When Abraham Lincoln took his first oath of office on March 4, 1861, the Capitol dome stood half-finished, wrapped in scaffolding and construction equipment, with the Civil War just weeks away. Some argued construction should stop given the national crisis. Lincoln insisted it continue, reportedly telling an associate that finishing the dome was a sign the Union itself would go on.

Freedom Placed Under Cannon Fire

Sculptor Thomas Crawford designed the 19-foot bronze Statue of Freedom that crowns the Capitol dome. Workers hoisted it into place on December 2, 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, marked by a 35-gun salute, one gun for every state still in the Union, answered by return fire from a ring of forts surrounding the city. Lincoln's second inauguration took place in front of the finished dome roughly a year later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Washington, D.C. built on the Potomac River?

Washington, D.C. was established on the Potomac River as part of a political compromise reached through the Residence Act of 1790. President George Washington personally chose the exact site, land that straddled Maryland and Virginia, giving neither the North nor the South a claim to hosting the capital outright.

Why was Pierre L'Enfant fired from designing the city?

Pierre L'Enfant, hired in 1791 to design Washington, D.C., refused to follow the instructions of the city's commissioners and clashed with them repeatedly over control of the project. He was dismissed in February 1792 and left with his working drawings, and surveyor Andrew Ellicott completed the plan using his own copies.

Why did construction of the Washington Monument stop for 23 years?

Construction of the Washington Monument stopped in 1854 after members of the Know-Nothing Party broke into the site and threw a donated marble block into the Potomac River, collapsing fundraising efforts. Between that setback and the Civil War, the monument sat unfinished until construction resumed in 1877.

Why is there a color change partway up the Washington Monument?

The Washington Monument's original marble came from a Maryland quarry that was no longer available when construction resumed in 1877 after the 23-year halt. Builders switched to marble from a Massachusetts quarry instead, creating a visible color change in the stone about 150 feet up that's still visible today.

Why did Lincoln insist the Capitol dome keep being built during the Civil War?

President Lincoln insisted construction on the Capitol dome continue even as the Civil War began, viewing the half-finished dome as a symbol worth completing rather than abandoning. Workers placed the Statue of Freedom atop the finished dome on December 2, 1863, while the war was still underway.

Why does a Washington, D.C. metal print make a great gift for someone who loves American history?

A Washington, D.C. metal print gift for someone who loves American history is a thoughtful, ready-to-display choice because it captures monuments built through real political struggle, not just postcard scenery, arrives with no framing needed, and includes a matching 5mm mouse pad for their desk. Handcrafted in North Liberty, Iowa and shipping in 3 to 5 business days, this patriotic wall art is meaningful decor that still works last-minute.

Where can you get landmark decor like this for a desk?

X2Metal offers American landmark and skyline designs printed on glossy ChromaLuxe metal and sized for a desk, with matching 5mm mouse pads. Browse the USA Skylines & Icons collection. Everything is handcrafted in North Liberty, Iowa.

About the author: Business Alchemist | Turning Ideas into Products, Brands & Businesses | Navid Malik. Navid is the founder of X2Metal, a metal print studio in North Liberty, Iowa creating bold, durable metal prints and 5mm mouse pads.

Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Pierre L'Enfant and Washington D.C. ↗, The Washington Post, Washington Monument construction halt ↗, Wikipedia, Washington Monument ↗, Wikipedia, United States Capitol dome ↗, Ford's Theatre, Lincoln and the Capitol dome ↗. X2Metal is not affiliated with any organization mentioned in this post.

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