Seal the Envelope

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For nearly a century, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial has stood as an inspiring tribute to the memory of the father of our country—a place where generations of Americans and visitors from around the world have learned about Washington and the Masonic ideals that helped shape our free society.

Today, the Memorial is entering an exciting phase. New exhibits, a reopened library, and a more vigorous program of public engagement. But there is important work to be done to ensure that the Memorial is ready for its second century of service. That’s why we’ve launched the SEAL THE ENVELOPE campaign.

We are raising $2,500,000 to complete all of this work. Learn more about the scope of these crucial efforts below.

wall collapsing

The Retaining Wall

Due to the earthquake several years ago, extensive damage was done to the retaining wall surrounding the Memorial. This massive structure comprises 456,940 cubic feet of stone and concrete—that’s around 35,800 tons. All four corners of the wall have separated, and one of them is so fractured that, without intervention, a collapse will be inevitable.

Mortar erosion can be seen on all surfaces of the wall, where deferred repointing over several decades has allowed water to enter the wall’s internal structure. Freezing and thawing cycles then do damage to the wall's alignment and stability.

Finally, the wall must be cleaned. While it is made of the same stone as the Memorial itself, it no longer matches the Memorial in appearance. After all the structural repairs are made, we will restore this beautiful retaining wall to its intended appearance, returning the deserved nobility of the Memorial’s exterior.

It is essential we do this project more sooner than later, as movement in the wall is continuing and will cause additional issues if not addressed. Contributions to the Seal the Envelope campaign will provide much-needed support for our work to stabilize this wall and restore its appearance.

crumbling steps

The Grounds

The Memorial’s eastern grounds are a beautiful terraced garden, lined with cherry trees and adorned with a giant Masonic emblem. Over 5,800 square feet of sidewalks wend their way through this attractive area, leading upward from the city of Alexandria to the Memorial’s main steps. Hundreds of people walk these paths every day.

But while the ten large concrete stairways along these paths, created over fifty years ago, held up much longer than intended, decades of freezing and thawing have left many of them in a broken and crumbling condition. In addition, the pylons on each side at the top of the steps are disintegrating and highly unsightly.

Finally, there are several issues to address at the monumental inscription wall in the Memorial’s entry plaza. It is the first architectural element that visitors encounter. Built in 1982, it is in need of repair. The main lettering that communicates the name of the Memorial has become difficult to read, and the lighting on it has not worked for over twenty years. The wall bears an important saying of George Washington: “Let prejudices and local interest yield to reason. Let us look to our National character, and to things beyond the present period.” Part of the inscription is damaged. Repairing this key part of our grounds will do much to enhance our presence in the community and communicate our purpose to every visitor.

Your help with this campaign will provide a badly needed refresh to these elements on our grounds . . . the parts of our Memorial that tourists see first. Bringing these aspects back up to standard will breathe new life into the visitor experience and reinforce the positive impression that it is the Memorial’s purpose to create.

copper roof

The Roof

The Memorial has many roofs in need of repair. We have two large copper roofs—one over the Portico and one over the Theater—and both are in need of major maintenance. While the copper cladding is exceptionally durable, it does require some maintenance. Our roofs show deteriorated parapet counterflashing with degraded sealant that must be replaced. Additionally, we have some malformed base flashing that will need careful repair. Each of the copper seams must be inspected and if necessary relapped and resoldered.

In addition to the copper roofs, there are flat sealed roofs on the square sections of the building. The largest is the second story roof, covering over 29,000 square feet. It is over a decade past its service life and must be completely replaced as soon as possible. As things stand, after every significant snowfall, the runoff from thawing causes tens of thousands of dollars worth of plaster and paint damage to the interior of the Memorial. Our plan is to replace the degraded 2 ½-inch foam roof with a flexible polyvinyl chloride seal that will carry a thirty-year guarantee.

At last, these longstanding water penetration issues will be addressed, thanks to the supporters of our Seal the Envelope campaign. Your participation in this effort is welcomed!

base flashing

tower work

The Tower

333 feet from the ground, the top of the Memorial’s beautiful tower also has developed some urgent issues. Water penetration at the filial as well as leaks from an epoxy seal around the base of the pyramid level has caused flooding on the tenth floor. In order to address this, all of the compromised epoxy mix must be replaced with a fresh application of mortar, and additional lead weather capping needs to be installed.

In order to complete this work, a scaffold must be erected on the outside of the observation platform. It’s difficult work but it must be done in order to preserve the world’s most beautiful tribute to the memory of George Washington.