Often cited as America's most popular president, Abraham Lincoln was forever immortalized in marble at the west end of the National Mall. Designed with distinct Greek proportions, the 100 foot tall monument was first proposed shortly after the President Lincoln’s death. Surrounded by 38 Doric columns, the memorial's most captivating sculpture lies between the North and South chambers in the central hall. Directed by Daniel Chester French, this 175 ton masterpiece, made of Tennessee marble, took the Piccirilli Brothers four years to complete. The Lincoln Statue is accompanied by inscriptions of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and one of his most famous speeches, the Second Inaugural Address.
   A city famous for its neoclassical architecture, the District of Columbia finally celebrated the completion of the Lincoln Memorial in 1922. Lincoln's only remaining son, Robert Todd Lincoln, joined commissioning president William H. Taft in dedicating the Lincoln Memorial.
   Except for the addition of an advanced lighting system in 1929, the memorial has received no significant changes. Urban legends surround the Lincoln Statue, with Lincoln's hands formed in sign language gaining the most credence. It's postulated that sculptor, Daniel Chester French, was familiar sign language (his own son was deaf) and paid tribute to Lincoln's acknowledgement of the deaf.

     National Mall Map