Streetscapes: A Mysterious Monument

Today, Free Ride kicks off a semi-regular feature called Streetscapes, in which we'll look at landmarks, buildings, statues and other places of interest on and off the beaten path in the D.C. area. Today, we train our eye on the mysteries of the Washington Monument.

WHEN YOU LOOK at the layout of the city's monumental core, the Washington Monument seems slightly misaligned. While the giant obelisk sits on an axis with the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial, it does not line up directly with the north-south axis formed by 16th Street, which extends south through the White House and the Jefferson Memorial. The reasoning? In the 19th century, the swampy soil at the 16th Street axis wasn't strong enough to support a giant stone monument, so it was moved slightly to the east, closer to 15th Street.

Coincidentally (or is it?), the modified alignment places the Washington Monument almost in line with the Temple of the Scottish Rite at 16th Street and Riggs Place NW, built as the headquarters for the Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction of the 33rd Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Freemasonry, which sits an ominous 13 blocks north of the president's house. If you troll around online, it's not difficult to come across conspiracy Web sites detailing deep Masonic plots to control the government through the strategic layout of the nation's capital and the worship of the first president. (Did you know that Dupont Circle, Scott Circle, Logan Circle, Washington Circle, Thomas Circle, Mount Vernon Square and the White House form a devilish pentagram?)

In preparation for Dan Brown's upcoming book, "The Solomon Key," we thought it only right to detail some of the mysteries associated with the Washington Monument before they get worked into Brown's next injection of literary conspiracy heroin, which is supposed to focus on Freemasonry, the secret architecture of the nation's capital and the Scottish Rite temple. Once the book hits the shelves, National Park Service personnel at the Washington Monument will surely have to field questions about all the theories. So here's a primer on what you're likely to hear tourists talking about in the coming years.

Before you read "The Solomon Key," it might be wise to pick up a copy of "The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital" by David Ovason, who has spent more than 40 years studying astrology, Nostradamus and other such areas of interest.

» D.C.'S GREAT EGYPTIAN OBELISK: When Pierre Charles L'Enfant first laid out his vision for the nation's capital, three sites dominated the city's layout: The White House, the U.S. Capitol and the monument to George Washington. The monument, like the White House and Capitol, had its own radiating avenues, including one that linked it to Judiciary Square that survives in part as today's Indiana Avenue, most of which was eliminated when Federal Triangle was built on top of it during the Great Depression. As you might know, there were competing visions on how to honor George Washington in the early days of the nation's capital. Some wanted a simple equestrian statue. Others wanted a giant Egyptian-style pyramid to tower over the city. Eventually, an Egyptian obelisk was agreed upon and construction started in 1848. Work stopped when money ran out, but would eventually be complete by 1886.

Original plans, according to Ovason's research, included quite a few instances of ancient Egyptian architectural symbolism, which were stripped as the project went along. But overall, the use of the obelisk irks some conspiracy theorists:

The obelisk is critically important to the occultist because they believe that the spirit of the ancient Egyptian sun god, Ra, resided in the obelisk. Thus, the obelisk represents the very presence of the sun god, whom the Bible calls Satan!!

So take that for what it's worth ...

» STAR-CROSSED MEMORIAL: Those who place astrology in high regard find many of the events surrounding the monument to be very significant. According to Ovason's book, the precise dates of monument ceremonies are astrologically significant. Regarding the July 4, 1848 cornerstone ceremony, during which the sun was 12.45 degrees of Cancer:

Even an astrologer may be forgiven for thinking that the event at Washington, D.C., on July 4, 1848, was chosen for its historical importance, rather than for any deep significance in the cosmic moment reflected in the chart. However, the fact is that the chart happens to denote a most important stellar event which links the Washington Monument with Egyptian mythology and religion.

Additionally, the monument's Masonic dedication ceremony on Feb. 21, 1885, is of particular interest.

The date — so curious in many ways — must have been determined with great care. Whoever had arranged the time for the event had waited to ensure that the planet Jupiter should have just entered Virgo. It would not have been in Virgo if the ceremony had been held on the previous day — the actual birthday of the first president.

So there you go. Ovason has plenty more where that came from, so if you're interested, check out the book.

In the end, it all raises this looming question: Is our city (and national government, by default) controlled by Masons up on 16th Street NW who might channel power from ancient Egyptians via the giant obelisk that looms over the city? We can't wait for Dan Brown to enlighten the world when his book comes out ...

Photos by James A. Parcell/The Washington Post; Preston Keres/The Washington Post; Dayna Smith/The Washington Post

Posted By Michael Grass at 12:30 PM on February 28, 2007 Tagged in Free Ride , Streetscapes

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