Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial
Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial in 2010
Lincoln Memorial is located in Central Washington, D.C.
Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial is located in the District of Columbia
Lincoln Memorial
LocationNational Mall, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Coordinates38°53′21.4″N 77°3′0.5″W / 38.889278°N 77.050139°W / 38.889278; -77.050139
Area27,336 square feet (2,539.6 m2)
Built1914–1922
ArchitectHenry Bacon (architect)
Daniel Chester French (sculptor)
Architectural styleGreek Revival[1]
Visitation8,099,148 (2023)[2]
WebsiteLincoln Memorial
NRHP reference No.66000030[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966

The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial that honors the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. An example of neoclassicism, it is in the form of a classical temple and is located at the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Henry Bacon is the memorial's architect and Daniel Chester French designed the large interior statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln (1920), which was carved in marble by the Piccirilli brothers.[3] Jules Guerin painted the interior murals, and the epitaph above the statue was written by Royal Cortissoz. Dedicated on May 30, 1922, it is one of several memorials built to honor an American president. It has been a major tourist attraction since its opening, and over the years, has occasionally been used as a symbolic center focused on race relations and civil rights.

Doric style columns line the temple exterior, and the inscriptions inside include two well-known speeches by Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech delivered on August 28, 1963, during the rally at the end of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Like other monuments on the National Mall – including the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and World War II Memorial – the national memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since October 15, 1966, and was ranked seventh on the American Institute of Architects' 2007 list of America's Favorite Architecture. The memorial is open to the public 24 hours a day, and more than seven million people visit it annually.[4]

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in: 2023". nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Lincoln Memorial National Memorial; Washington, DC National Park Service
  4. ^ "Annual Park Recreation Visitation (1904 – Last Calendar Year)" National Park Service