Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Investigation of the Column Capital Volute Failure
McGee ES. 1996. Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Investigation of the Column Capital Volute Failure. Historic Structure Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Reston, Virginia
The failure, in 1990, of one of the column capital volutes at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. posed a danger to public safety and raised concerns about the integrity of this national memorial. Both of these issues are of great concern to the National Park Service, which is responsible for the Jefferson Memorial. An investigation was undertaken to try and determine if there is an inherent characteristic of the marble, used in the column capital, which might have caused the volute failure. If the cause (or causes) of the volute failure can be identified, then it may be possible to predict other failures so that further loss can be avoided and so that the safety of visitors to the memorial can be ensured. This report, by the U.S. Geological Survey, presents the results of the investigation. National Mall and Memorial Parks (formerly known as National Capital Parks-Central) is an administrative unit of the National Park Service (NPS) encompassing many national memorials and other areas in Washington, D.C. Federally owned and administered parks in the capital area date back to 1790, some of the oldest in the United States. In 1933, they were transferred to the control of the National Park Service.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- McGee, Elaine
- Date of Issue
- 1996-09
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- NAMA , NCR
- Keywords
- column, cracked volute, fracture, marble, memorial, public safety, scanning electron microscopy, structural investigation, volute
- Subjects
- CRIS-HS: 000733: Jefferson Memorial - Res. 332