The towering obelisk standing in the center of the National Mall in Washington, DC is a monument to George Washington, the first President of the United States. Construction of this monument, one of the most recognizable features of a city filled with monuments, began on July 4, 1848. Due to insufficient funding, work stopped on the Washington Monument in 1854 at only 152 feet, well short of the 555 feet called for in the design. Delayed again by the onset of the American Civil War in 1861, work did not resume until 1874. Despite returning to the same quarry near Baltimore to match the original marble, the 20 year lapse in construction can be easily spotted in many of these photographs. The later marble used to finish the construction is a slightly different color, and has aged at a different rate than the original stone.