Lincoln Memorial Update

[L Verge]

As some of you know, the Lincoln Memorial in DC is undergoing repairs and renovations. Here's an update as reported in the summer newsletter of the LGDC:

Recently the National Park Service provided an update on extensive renovations being made (at the cost $25 million) to the Lincoln Memorial. The project began in 2016. The memorial we all know and love has gone through some tough times and the wear and tear to the building requires repair. The memorial sits in a prominent spot in a punishing environment without the shelter of other buildings or even trees – so it is victim to the elements. There is a “baseball-sized gouge in the outer wall of the ‘penthouse’ (a smaller structure atop the monument), made by an errant antiaircraft bullet in 1942. The gun was on a nearby bridge to defend the city against air attacks when an accidental firing occurred.” As a Park Service representative said “the Memorial came under attack in WWII from friendly fire.” The 2011 earthquake moved some marble blocks, resulting in cracks and broken stone. Much of the ongoing work is aimed at replacing the 30-year roof (A Park Service quote on the roof: “it should have lasted longer than it did.”) Y2K also left its mark. Hundreds of pieces of gold Mylar confetti, used to celebrate the new millennium in 2000, lurked under the roof slates. Replacement of much of the old roof is now done, with the new roof, one which will address prior drainage problems, soon to be installed. There will also be renovations inside the memorial – expansion of the exhibit space and the tiny bookstore, an upgrading of the ancient restrooms (Hooray!) and new exhibits. Future visitors will be able to see “the massive pilings and foundation that support the memorial in its undercroft.” Much of the renovation is being funded by an $18 million donation from philanthropist David Rubenstein. The memorial remains open during its facelift, although at times portions of the site may be closed. The Park Service hopes the renovation is complete by the 2022 memorial centennial. (Information for this article comes from a Michael E. Ruane article in The Washington Post, June 15, 2018, beginning on page B1)
Time for a Makeover

I saw an interesting comment recently by a NPS representative who was speaking on the damage to the Memorial's roof. It seems that the roof collects rainwater so badly that they refer to it as Lake Lincoln.

[Angela]

Thank you for the update! This sounds all promising and I’m looking forward to all the renovations being finished!
Lake Lincoln is funny!

[LincolnMan]

Love the comment about it having been under attack with friendly fire. That had to be quite a large caliber.

[L Verge]

(07-13-2018 07:10 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Love the comment about it having been under attack with friendly fire. That had to be quite a large caliber.

I know nothing about any type of gun nor calibers, but I suspect that the defense was set up on Memorial Bridge, which is practically in the hip pocket of Lincoln. Would short distance contribute to the damage?

[ReignetteC]

From the September 28, 1915 edition of The Evening Star:

"[Former] Senator Blackburn said that the foundation upon which the massive structure will stand had been so constructed that it could bear the weight not only of the memorial but also that of the Washington Monument and the Capitol combined."

[LincolnMan]

Yes-distance would certainly be a factor. I would expect that because the round was fired from an antiaircraft gun that the round would be larger than small arms weapons.

[L Verge]

(07-13-2018 11:36 PM)ReignetteC Wrote:  From the September 28, 1915 edition of The Evening Star:

"[Former] Senator Blackburn said that the foundation upon which the massive structure will stand had been so constructed that it could bear the weight not only of the memorial but also that of the Washington Monument and the Capitol combined."

Hopefully, we will never have to prove that; but the Memorial does stand on what was once swamp land. Considering the added weight of the millions (billions?) of visitors and the tour buses that used to be able to get very close before 9/11, the structure has done well for the past nearly-100 years.

[JMadonna]

(07-14-2018 06:47 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Yes-distance would certainly be a factor. I would expect that because the round was fired from an antiaircraft gun that the round would be larger than small arms weapons.

Don't forget a shot from Jubal Early's army missed him in 1864 and a 'hunter' shot his hat off. Booth knew you had to get real close to hit him.

[Amy L.]

There seems to be lots of coverage today on renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Untercroft
Those will be some expensive toilets. Anyone ever been in said untercroft?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/...ubenstein/
(If not created by their staff, I am very curious who did the architectural design, and curious why they're not named. Does the National Park Service have a design and engineering department? The work is not from the office of the Architect of the Capitol...)


I've asked again and again - Is the scent of the 1850s in the 2020s?
Another question - Is the scent purposely put there?
I see the following written:
"Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) explicitly called for dividing the nation. She tweeted: 'We need a national divorce. We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this.' For once I will spare you my usual lecture on how elite southern enslavers in the 1850s made this same argument because they resented the majority rule that threatened their ability to impose their will on their Black neighbors.
"...former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) helpfully reviewed some of the governing principles of America for Greene, tweeting: 'Our country is governed by the Constitution. You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Secession is unconstitutional. No member of Congress should advocate secession, Marjorie.' "

James Russell Lowell's work comes to mind.
From A Letter from Mr. Ezekiel (1846)
If I'd my way I'd had rather we should go to work and part.
They take one way, we take t'other,
Guess it wouldn't break my heart...

[David Lockmiller]

(02-21-2023 05:44 PM)Amy L. Wrote:  "...former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) helpfully reviewed some of the governing principles of America for Greene, tweeting: 'Our country is governed by the Constitution. You swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Secession is unconstitutional. No member of Congress should advocate secession, Marjorie.' "

James Russell Lowell's work comes to mind.
From A Letter from Mr. Ezekiel (1846)
If I'd my way I'd had rather we should go to work and part.
They take one way, we take t'other,
Guess it wouldn't break my heart...

In justifying his proposal, Lincoln asked the cabinet, “how long has this war lasted, and how long do you suppose it will still last? We cannot hope that it will end in less than a hundred days. We are now spending three millions a day, and that will equal the full amount that I propose to pay, to say nothing of the lives lost and property destroyed. I look upon it as a measure of strict and simple economy.” The cabinet unanimously rejected this pragmatic argument, which Lincoln used to justify compensated emancipation back in 1862. Secretary of the Interior John P. Usher speculated that Lincoln’s “heart was so fully enlisted in behalf of such a plan that he would have followed it if only a single member of his cabinet had supported him in the project.” Sadly, Lincoln commented, “You are all against me” and dropped the matter.

Lincoln evidently intended the $400 million to help revive the blighted economy of the South. It was an enlightened proposal designed to help restore sectional harmony.

(Abraham Lincoln: A Life Vol. Two, at and about pages 759 - 760)