February 15, 2004
Dear Coalition Friends:
Today's Washington Post has the following letter to the editor in the "Close to Home" section, accompanied by a large drawing of the Washington Monument covered with eyes.
Tomorrow, President's Day, we'll send out an Update covering the status of additional proposed and ongoing changes to the monuments to Presidents Washington and Lincoln, all in the name of security.
A Washington landmark is put to work for Big Brother.
washingtonpost.com
Sunday, February 15, 2004; Page B08
Tomorrow America will celebrate the life of George Washington and other American presidents. On Sunday, although few people may realize it, it also will mark the anniversary of the monument built in Washington's name, which has become one of our nation's most cherished landmarks.
A few years ago the Washington Monument underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, which included cleaning and repairing the exterior marble; refurbishing the memorial stones lining the interior; installing a new elevator; and improving the observation deck at the 500-foot level. All this work was done with much fanfare.
Done much more quietly was the more recent addition to the monument: surveillance cameras.
Last year the U.S. Park Police installed video cameras in four of the monument's eight windows to keep watch on the people on the Mall below -- a purpose never envisioned by the monument's designers and builders.
The idea for a monument to George Washington began with the Continental Congress in 1783. Many different designs were suggested, including an equestrian statue, now standing in Washington Circle; a heroic statue, now in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History; a mausoleum for the Capitol grounds, designed but never built; and a tomb in the lower vaults of the Capitol, built but never used. Finally, a stone tower designed by Robert Mills was chosen as the proper monument to the father of our country. Ground was broken on July 4, 1848.
The monument originally was funded through private subscriptions, but the project soon ran into financial and political turmoil. In the mid-1850s, it went broke, and construction stopped at around the 150-foot level, where the monument now can be seen to change color.
In 1876 Congress finally authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to complete the monument, and on Feb. 22, 1885, President Chester A. Arthur dedicated it "to the immortal name and memory of George Washington."
The nation had built the world's tallest building to honor its first president. The monument's 555-foot height surpassed the pyramids of Egypt and the cathedrals of Europe. The Washington Monument still holds the title of the world's tallest free-standing masonry structure.
Since 1888, millions of tourists have ridden the elevator or, until the stairway was closed in 1972, climbed the monument's 897 steps to enjoy this view.
On occasion, the monument has been used for more practical purposes too. In 1946 President Harry Truman ascended to the top to survey possible locations for a new Potomac River bridge. News services frequently have used the lofty perch to document events on the Mall. Park police also have watched over presidential motorcades from the monument's windows.
These uses always have been temporary, though, and after the event, the monument's windows and their view of our capital city were turned back to the people. Now, however, visitors to the top of the monument find four of the eight windows blocked by partitions that hide the security cameras.
These unsightly structures clutter an already cramped area and greatly diminish visitors' opportunity to enjoy the view. The cameras and their enclosures force them to compete for scarce seconds of viewing time at the four unobstructed windows. This flies in the face of all the recent changes made in the name of improving the experience of visiting the top of the monument.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, security obviously has a higher profile in the United States, especially in Washington. Security cameras have become common throughout the city.
The Washington Monument probably is unsurpassed as an observation platform for the surrounding area. Yet how many of our most sacred spaces, not to mention how much of our personal privacy, are we willing to sacrifice in the name of security?
Are cameras in the eye sockets of Abraham Lincoln's statue in the Lincoln Memorial next?
From now on, as Americans and their international guests gaze up at the magnificence of the Washington Monument, they should remember that the unblinking eyes of police cameras are gazing back. Our tribute to the Father of Our Country has become a monument to Big Brother.
The park police should remove the cameras and end this desecration.
-- Jim Berard
was a National Park Service volunteer at the Washington Monument from 1992 through 1998.
JBerard@aol.com
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
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