176 feet of Baltimore marble

George Washington was an man of strong convictions and extraordinary commitment to democratic ideals. In 1783, as Congress assembled in the Maryland State House in Annapolis, then-General Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the army, thus setting the precedent that the supreme executive authority in the United States would reside in civilian, rather than military rule. According to legend, if not necessarily to the verifiable historical record, Washington later refused entreaties by his supporters to assume the mantle of monarch, instead choosing to leave office in a peaceful transition of power. Whatever the truth of that particular story, one only has to visit Mount Vernon to learn of the first president's abhorrence for pomp, grandeur, and the trappings of royalty.

One can only imagine how distressed he would be, therefore, if, while strolling through downtown Baltimore on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the great man chanced to raise his eyes to the great white obelisk that dominates the intersection of Charles Street and Monument Street, and see perched atop its spire a figure that looks remarkably like him, only draped in a toga and with its hand thrust out imperiously southward toward the harbor. Most likely he would be less than pleased to see himself immortalized in marble, depicted as Caesar, and encircled by wrought iron spikes and stylized fasces.

So Baltimore's Washington Monument isn't exactly reflective of the spirit or the principles of its namesake. So it's smaller than its younger and more famous cousin just down the road on the National Mall. So its appearance is rather egregiously phallic. It's nevertheless a source of civic pride for the Baltimoreans who gather at its base each year for the Book Festival, various arts and crafts events, and the Flowermart, which has attracted ladies in fabulous hats for nearly a century. And let's not forget the Monumental Occasion that takes place each December, when the monument is set ablaze by lasers, Christmas lights, and the best fireworks display of the year.

George Washington may not have cared for it, had he seen it. But it sure lights up pretty.