Washington Monument to reopen in September after years-long closure

The Washington Monument will reopen to the public on Sept. 19, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Friday, after being closed on and off for more than five years.

Same-day tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8:30 a.m. for the monument’s opening day and on tours through Oct. 18. Tours for Oct. 19 and later can be ordered at recreation.gov starting Oct. 10, according to NPS. {mosads}

The re-opening comes eight years after the monument was rattled by an August earthquake and three years after it was shuttered for elevator and other repairs.

Park Service officials told The Washington Post that they estimate 3 million people were unable to enter the monument in the years since during the structure’s closures. 

The Post reported that the earthquake damage to the 555-foot structure forced its closure for more than two years, costing about $15 million. Repairs to the monument were funded by the government and a $7.5 million donation from local philanthropist and businessman David M. Rubenstein.

Between 2014 and 2016 after the monument had reopened, its elevator broke down 24 times, the Post noted, often stranding visitors. Rubenstein donated another $3 million for the NPS to begin fixing the elevator.

The Post also noted that the monument was scheduled to open last spring, but could not due to possibly contaminated soil near the structure. An NPS spokesman told the newspaper that the soil poses no risk to public health.