Washington Monument's visible color change marks a construction pause

The Washington Monument shows a distinct change in stone color partway up that corresponds to a long construction pause from 1854 to 1876 caused by funding shortages and the Civil War. Work resumed using marble from a different quarry, producing the lighter band above the original section; construction began in 1848 and the monument was completed in 1884. The change in coloration is often cited as visible evidence of the interrupted construction.