National Park Service

Washington Monument Post-earthquake Assessment National Park Service

Publisher Marketing: On August 23, 2011, the Washington Monument was subject to seismic ground motion from the Mineral, Virginia earthquake. The purpose of this assessment is to describe the type and extent damage observed and to develop a preliminary scope of work for the repair of earthquake-related damage to the monument, based on field investigations that have been completed considering access limitations. Due to the short notice given for the initial site visit (August 25 and 26, 2011), the initial site visit was conducted concurrently with limited review of background documents on the structural design of the monument. Prior to the follow-up site investigation (September 26 to October 5, 2011), documentation provided by the National Park Service was more thoroughly reviewed, including some information pertaining to the original design, the historic structure report, previous condition survey reports, repair documents, and photographs. The follow-up site investigation included a limited visual inspection of the exterior of the monument, via roped access techniques, to develop a sense for current conditions and to serve as a baseline for future evaluations. Conditions observed during the visual inspection were documented with photographs, drawings, sketches, and field notes. Based on information gathered through the investigation, preliminary repair options were developed.