The American city famous for being "broken" now has a monument with a similar status. The National Park Service announced Monday the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely due to the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August, which caused more damage to the towering obelisk than previously thought. The Washington Post reports:

Officials said a “debris field,” made up mostly of mortar that had fallen during the quake, had been found at the base and that more substantial pieces of stone had fallen loose inside the monument... In addition, officials said, the elevator was damaged, possibly by its counterweights, and would need to be repaired...

The worst damage happened in the pyramidium, the pyramid-shaped top of the structure, where cracks up to 11 / 4 inches wide developed in the mortar and stone. “Daylight is visible at a number of the vertical joints where mortar is missing,” [Mall superintendent Bob Vogel] said.

The NPS also released video footage of inside the monument when the earthquake shook. As many have noted, you can see one visitor pushing their way through to the exit, pulling a George Costanza. For shame!

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John Hudson