Washington Monument to be closed indefinitely

The National Park Service said yesterday that the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely and that the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August had done more damage to it than had been previously disclosed.

Officials said a “debris field,” made up mostly of mortar that had fallen during the quake, had been found at the base and that more substantial pieces of stone had fallen loose inside the monument.

The Park Service posted a video taken from a security camera in the observation deck near the top during the quake. It shows debris falling from the ceiling, the entire structure shaking violently, and terrified visitors falling and running for safety.

In addition, officials said, the elevator was damaged, possibly by its counterweights, and would need to be repaired. Mall superintendent Bob Vogel said the elevator was only partly functional.

Another Park Service official said the elevator could reach only the 250-foot level of the 555-foot-tall monument.

Vogel said the worst damage happened in the pyramidium, the pyramid-shaped top of the structure, where cracks up to 11 / 4 inches wide developed in the mortar and stone. “Daylight is visible at a number of the vertical joints where mortar is missing,” he said.

As a result, a substantial amount of water has been getting into the monument, which could cause more damage. It is the extent of damage to the exterior that must now be assessed, he said.

More at the Washington Post. A slideshow of the damage can be seen here.