Washington Monument damaged during earthquake (VIDEO)
A boy walks past the Washington Monument on the National Mall. The Washington Monument will remain indefinitely closed after the 5.8 magnitude East Coast earthquake left cracks near the top of the 555-foot-tall obelisk.
The Washington Monument is "not going anywhere" and has been deemed "structurally sound" reports a Park Service official. The news comes after the completion of a comprehensive assessment of the structure, reports CNN.
However, the Monument will remain closed to visitors indefinitely. There is no schedule from reopening the structure, reports AP.
Bob Vogel, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, has announced that a five day examination of the exterior of the monument will commence on Tuesday, according to CNN
Officials noticed four cracks in the marble of the monument soon after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the East Coast on August 23, reports the AP. After Hurricane Irene, small pools of standing water were found inside the monument.
According to spokeswoman Carol Johnson, "What happened was a lot of mortar popped out, so much so that you can see sunlight above 450 feet in the monument," she said, at that time.
According to CNN repairs on the monument, which was built between 1848 and 1884, will include pinning stones together and replacing some mortar.
The Washington Monument is 555 feet, 5 and one-eight inches tall. It is composed mostly of white marble, reports the National Park Service.