Jefferson Memorial: then and now

1940 vs 2006 · Washington DC

NowThen

Then, 1940The memorial under construction in 1940, seen across the Tidal Basin through cherry branches. It was dedicated in 1943.Photo: Harris & Ewing (Library of Congress) · Public domain · Source · cropped and resized

Today, 2006Carol Highsmith took this photo on November 25, 2006.Photo: Carol M. Highsmith (Library of Congress) · Public domain · Source · resized

The story

John Russell Pope designed the memorial in a style inspired by the Roman Pantheon and Jefferson's own rotunda at the University of Virginia. It was dedicated on April 13, 1943.

The first statue was plaster. The 19-foot bronze Jefferson, sculpted by Rudulph Evans, was installed in April 1947.

In November 1938, women protesters chained themselves to cherry trees at the construction site. Opposition eased once revised plans showed the trees could be kept.

Did you know? The bronze statue is 19 feet tall and weighs about 10,000 pounds.

Historians argue about this. The Commission of Fine Arts never approved the design and opposed both it and the site in 1939. Whether trees were cut for the memorial is not settled in the sources we found.

Fact or tall tale?

SolidThe Jefferson Memorial was dedicated on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth.
Wikipedia reports April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary.
Not trueThe statue inside was bronze from the day the memorial opened in 1943.
A plaster cast stood there in 1943. The bronze statue was installed in 1947.

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

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