The Making of the Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial under construction.

Library of Congress

Early Attempts to Honor Lincoln

After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, artists across the country worked to capture his likeness to memorialize the martyred president in Washington, DC.

• Vinnie Ream, a 17‑year‑old sculptor, met with Lincoln during short sittings in 1864–1865 and created a marble statue that the U.S. Capitol unveiled in 1871.

• Lot Flannery sculpted another early statue, which leaders unveiled in Judiciary Square in 1868.

As more statues appeared, Congress began planning a major national memorial to honor Lincoln’s leadership and legacy.

Planning a National Memorial

In 1867, Congress created the Lincoln Monument Association and hired sculptor Clark Mills to design a huge bronze monument with 36 figures and Lincoln seated at the top. Fundraising started, but political disagreements and practical problems stopped the project before construction began.

By 1901, Senator James McMillan pushed for a new plan to redesign Washington, DC. He formed the Senate Park Commission, which included architect Daniel Burnham, architect Charles McKim, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and sculptor Augustus Saint‑Gaudens. In 1902, the Commission proposed placing a new Lincoln Memorial at the edge of the Potomac River as the western end of the National Mall.

The Commission chose this location to symbolize national unity. A new bridge—later called the Arlington Memorial Bridge—would connect the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery, linking former Union and Confederate regions.

Congress debated the plan for nearly ten years. To guide decisions, Congress created the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts in 1910 and the Lincoln Memorial Commission in 1911. When both groups supported the riverfront site, Congress finally approved the project.

Building the Memorial

Workers began construction on February 12, 1914. Because the memorial sits on filled land, engineers designed a very strong foundation. Workers poured 122 concrete piers anchored deep into bedrock. They built a second layer of piers and concrete arches to form the base floor. Then they added marble on top of the substructure.

Workers finished the foundation in 1915 and continued building the main structure. During World War I, shortages of workers and materials slowed progress, but crews kept the project moving. In 1918, designers doubled the size of the planned Lincoln statue so it would not look too small inside the large chamber. Crews added steel supports under the floor to hold the extra weight.

Architect Henry Bacon chose building materials from many states to show how the reunited nation could work together:

• Massachusetts granite

• Colorado marble

• Indiana limestone

• Tennessee pink marble

• Alabama marble

• Georgia marble for the statue

Inside the memorial, artists painted murals and carved Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address into the walls.

 

Key People Who Shaped the Memorial

• Henry Bacon designed the Lincoln Memorial. He studied ancient Greek architecture in Europe and used the Parthenon as his main inspiration. He chose stones from many states—such as Massachusetts granite, Colorado marble, and Tennessee pink marble—to show how the reunited nation could work together.
   

• Daniel Chester French sculpted the 19‑foot statue of Lincoln. He studied photographs, eyewitness accounts, and casts of Lincoln’s hands to create a detailed and expressive figure. He aimed to show both Lincoln’s strength and compassion.

• Jules Guerin painted the two large interior murals. Each mural stretches 60 feet long and highlights Lincoln’s achievements in Emancipation and national unity.

• Ernest C. Bairstow carved many of the memorial’s exterior details, including the states, wreaths, festoons, and eagles. He also carved the lettering for the Gettysburg Address, the Second Inaugural Address, and the inscription above the statue.

• Evelyn Beatrice Longman carved the decorative elements around the inscriptions inside the memorial. She trained under Daniel Chester French and became a respected sculptor in her own right.

• The Piccirilli Brothers carved the statue of Lincoln from 28 blocks of Georgia marble in their New York studio. They followed French’s models with great precision, creating pieces that fit together with almost invisible seams.

• Royal Cortissoz wrote the inscription above the statue: “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” He considered this line his proudest achievement.

 

Crews assembled the statue in late 1919 and early 1920. Workers checked the building for settling and strengthened walls and foundations when needed. In 1921, crews built roads, walkways, lawns, and plantings. They also began work on the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

Dedication and Legacy

Leaders including presidents Taft, Harding, and Coolidge, as well as Abraham Lincoln's son Robert, dedicated the Lincoln Memorial on May 30, 1922. Crews had completed most of the work by that date, and they finished the Reflecting Pool and interior lighting soon afterward.

Today, the memorial stands as a symbol of unity, strength, and the nation’s ongoing effort to live up to the ideals Lincoln expressed in his speeches.