Washington Monument Washington, D.C. Grunley-Walsh and the National Park Service, Denver Service Center The Washington Monument is one of our nation’s most recognizable symbols. Anchoring the west end of Pierre L’Enfant’s mall, it dominates the skyline and can easily be seen from all parts of Washington, D.C., and nearby Virginia. In response to a directive from Congress to improve access to the site and the security of the monument and its visitors, the National Park Service engaged JMA to address historic preservation issues. As subconsultants to Grunley-Walsh, JMA prepared a Historic Structures Report and a Cultural Landscape Report for the Washington Monument Buildings and Grounds to inform the design of new security measures proposed for the site by the federal government. The site, encompassing 106 acres of rolling, grassy parkland surrounding the monument within the heart of the city, is one of the nation’s most heavily visited national landmark sites. Increased security measures have long been a priority of federal security efforts, and these studies were conducted to elucidate the unique and irreplaceable qualities of the historic site to ensure that they were preserved as part of the security design strategy. The National Park Service required JMA to work within a very compressed timeframe. In response, the effort was a collaboration of staff members from four of JMA’s offices, working under the direction of a single project director. The project scope included research and documentation of the history of the monument and grounds, existing conditions documentation and site analysis, and National Register-level significance evaluation and integrity assessment. JMA Staff: John K. Mott, Peter C. Benton, Philip E. Yocum, Elizabeth A. Sargent, Adriane D. Fowler, Lori R. Aument, Sarah G. Traum To Top