Jefferson Memorial, National Memorial in West Potomac Park, Washington DC, United States
The Jefferson Memorial is a circular marble building in West Potomac Park, Washington, D.C., dedicated to the third president of the United States. A bronze statue stands at the center beneath a dome supported by Ionic columns.
Construction started in 1939 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was completed in 1943. The bronze figure was installed four years later, after a plaster version had been used temporarily.
Panels carved into the walls present excerpts from four founding texts, including portions of the Declaration of Independence and his thoughts on liberty of conscience. Visitors often walk slowly around the rotunda to read all the inscriptions chiseled into the marble.
Access is available around the clock, with National Park Service rangers present between 9:30 AM and 11:30 PM. The easiest approach is via the steps from the Tidal Basin, while a path at the rear accommodates wheelchairs.
In November 1938, fifty Washington women chained themselves to cherry trees to protest their removal for the memorial's construction; the episode became known as the Cherry Tree Rebellion. The trees around the Tidal Basin were a gift of Japanese cherry trees, and the basin itself was earlier called Twining Lake.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,532 contributors worldwide.
