Jefferson Memorial

Jefferson’s Memorial is one of the most famous monuments located in Washington, D.C., situated on the south side of the Tidal Basin, in West Potomac Park. It is dedicated to the 3rd American President, an American Founding Father, and the author of the Declaration of American Independence.

It is the neoclassical building, which was designed by John Russell Pope and completed in 1943, ten years after the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission was established. Events that preceded the construction of the memorial are told to go against everything Thomas Jefferson believed and symbolizes.

The memorial's design reflects characteristics of buildings designed by Jefferson himself, such as Monticello and the Rotunda, which reflect his fascination with Roman architecture. The Jefferson Memorial bears some resemblance to the Pantheon of Rome. The building composes of marble steps, a dome and a portico.

The construction began on 15 November 1939. Its original designer had died two years earlier so the control over it was shifted to Daniel P. Higgins and Otto R. Eggers. The entire construction is made of marble from various parts of United States. The ceiling was made of limestone. The Jefferson Memorial was officially dedicated on April 13, 1943 — the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth. As a National Memorial it was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Inside the memorial there is has a 5.8 metres (19 foot) tall and 5 tonnes (10,000 pound) heavy bronze statue of Jefferson made by sculptor Rudulph Evans. The statue was added just four years after the dedication. The interior walls are engraved with passages from Jefferson's writings. Probably the most prominent are the words which are inscribed around the monument near the roof: "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." (This sentence is taken from Jefferson’s letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, written on September 23, 1800).