Jefferson Memorial History

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial history officially began on December 15, 1938, when the ground breaking took place. It wasn't until the next year, on November 15th, 1939, when the cornerstone was laid. But the Jefferson Memorial really started with FDR in 1934. President Roosevelt felt that there should be a Jefferson monument or memorial to honor this fascinating founding father and past President. The Lincoln monument and Washington memorial had already been built, and FDR felt that Jefferson was deserving of his own monument. Continue reading to learn about the Jefferson memorial history and some fun facts about this popular Washington D.C. monument.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial History

A commission was formed in 1934 to choose a location and design for the Jefferson memorial. Finally, in 1936, the final design was decided upon. John Russel Pope was chosen as the designer. His design was based on a neo-classical dome with a portico based on the Pantheon in Rome. Since Jefferson himself loved classical architecture, this design seemed fitting for the design. Jefferson had used some of the same neo-classical design features at his beloved Monticello.

The Jefferson Memorial is located at the south side of the Tidal Basin, surrounded by cherry trees. The cherry trees had been a gift to the city of Washington, D.C., from Tokyo, Japan in 1912. When the Jefferson memorial was first proposed, there was some concern that too many cherry trees would have to be removed. In 1938, a group of indignant women actually chained themselves together in a political statement against President Franklin D. Roosevelt. More trees were planted after construction, and during the blooming period of the cherry trees, this is one of the most photographed sites in D.C.

Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC

Jefferson Memorial Fun Facts

Construction on the Jefferson memorial began on November 15, 1939

The Jefferson memorial was completed on April 13, 1943

The design of the Jefferson memorial is similar to Monticello - Thomas Jefferson's home, which was modeled partially after the Pantheon in Rome.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

The statue of Thomas Jefferson was created by Rudolph Evans

The architect for the memorial was John Russell Pope

The nineteen foot tall statue of Thomas Jefferson inside the monument was originally cast in plaster, due to metal being rationed because of World War II when the monument was built. Shortly after the war ended, the plaster statue was replaced with the bronze one that stands today.

The pedestal for the statue was made from granite from Minnesota, who gave the pedestal as a gift.

Marble from Vermont, Missouri, Georgia and Tennessee was used in the construction of the Jefferson memorial.

The Jefferson memorial is in danger of sinking, because the timber pilings that were used to support the wall were probably not long enough to reach bedrock when the memorial was built. Repairs are currently underway to repair the sea wall.

The memorial was dedicated in 1943 on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth.

The total cost of the Jefferson monument was a little over $3 million.

The Jefferson memorial sits on 2.5 acres in the National Mall.

The distance to the top of the dome is over 129 feet

The thickness of the dome is four feet.

In 2005, 2,312,726 people visited the Jefferson memorial.

The Jefferson memorial is one of the few memorials still open 24 hours a day. Admission is free.

The monument has 26 pillars, which represents the number of states at the time of Jefferson's death.

Visit the Jefferson Memorial

You can visit the Jefferson Memorial any time, night or day. It's open 24 hours. But if you want to ask questions, you'll need to visit during the hours of 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. daily - that's when the rangers are on hand to answer questions. There are some great tour packages for visiting DC monuments - the ones below might interest you...

To visit the official government site about the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, visit nps.gov

If you enjoyed this little bit of Jefferson memorial history, you should check out our Facts on Thomas Jefferson page and our Thomas Jefferson Quotes page.

For more Jefferson memorial history, you might like this book - The Jefferson Memorial