The Architecture of the Lincoln Memorial Research Paper - 1

The Architecture of the Lincoln Memorial - Research Paper Example In the United States, the Lincoln Memorial stands as just such a monument, speaking eloquently not only about the man to whom it is dedicated but also to the ideas he espoused during his years as President of a war-torn and very briefly as a reunited country. The architecture of the structure itself is sufficient to convey the sense of strength and stability that Lincoln represented a country attempting to fly apart at the seams. Designed by architect Henry Bacon, the building is constructed primarily of marble blocks with limestone columns in the style of an ancient Greek temple. The Doric columns, 44 feet tall and nearly 7.5 feet in diameter at their base, convey supreme strength of purpose and steadying support [do you have a source for this opinion/statement?]. The building commemorates Lincoln’s efforts to maintain the Union primarily through these columns. There are 36 columns supporting the ceiling of the memorial, each one of which stands for one of the 36 states that comprised the re-united nation at the time of Lincoln’s death, complete with the name of the state to which the column is dedicated engraved into it (â€Å"Lincoln Memorial†, 2007). However, the monument wasn’t completed until 1922, by whi ch time the union was comprised of 48 states. Rather than excluding these, the names of the states that joined the union after Lincoln’s death, but before the monument’s completion, are carved into the walls on the outside of the memorial. Finally, the last two states to have joined the United States, Alaska and Hawaii, are commemorated in a plaque located within the approach plaza (â€Å"Lincoln Memorial†, 2007).