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The Washington Monument will be there a very long time. It's all load-bearing stone masonry, 15 feet thick at the base. It's not far above sea level, so I guess
by c5karl 9y ago
The Washington Monument will be there a very long time. It's all load-bearing stone masonry, 15 feet thick at the base. It's not far above sea level, so I guess its foundations could be threatened by rising seas, but stone foundations should do just fine submerged in briny water.
- eesmith 9y agoCurrently major repairs are done every 30 years or so "to address stone masonry deterioration mechanisms". The 2011 earthquake and hurricane did some damage. "[T]he aspect ratio and manner in which the Washington Monument was originally constructed may have rendered it uniquely vulnerable to ground motion associated with an earthquake." Quotes from https://www.nps.gov/wamo/upload/Post-Earthquake-assessment12_22_logo.pdf https://www.nps.gov/wamo/upload/Post-Earthquake-assessment12... . I can't project how 200 years of no maintenance will affect the building, especially as there's a difference between a building which is safe for visitors and one which is whole but unsafe.