Jefferson Memorial Seawall

The Trust helped leverage more than $150 million in federal dollars for restoration projects on the National Mall, including repairing the sinking plaza in front of the Jefferson Memorial. Prior to the work that was completed on the plaza, the Jefferson Memorial and its sea wall were sinking eight inches per year. Engineers working on the project discovered that the timber pilings originally constructed in the 1930s to support the sea wall were slipping away from the memorial.

Construction officials learned that the Jefferson Memorial, which weighs 32,000 tons and sits on an 18-acre site, had shifted significantly since its initial construction began in 1938.