Washington Monument Shines Like Never Before
WASHINGTON—The newly reopened Washington Monument at National Mall and Memorial Parks will shine like never before thanks to a partnership with the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and Musco Lighting.
“This collaboration is a shining example of how public-private partnership contributes to an even richer and more enjoyable experience for all visitors,” said Will Shafroth, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Musco Lighting’s support makes this historic monument more visible while reducing energy consumption and minimizing light pollution.”
Thanks to the partnership with Musco Lighting, the 555-foot-tall structure now has evenly and uniformly distributed light, making the pyramidion at the top of the Washington Monument much more visible at night. The new lighting utilizes LED light source technology which, when properly designed, achieves much greater precision and control, directing more of the available light onto the monument’s surface and spilling less around it.
“Musco Lighting’s generous donation illuminates the newly reopened Washington Monument with the brilliance befitting one of our nation’s most iconic memorials,” said Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks. “We are grateful to Musco for not only providing their expertise and equipment to more evenly and thoroughly light the monument but also for doing so in a far more efficient manner than the previous system.”
This project continues a longstanding partnership with Musco Lighting to illuminate national parks across the country, including Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Statue of Liberty National Monument, President’s Park (White House), and Flight 93 National Memorial. While LED technology for monument lighting brings a number of impressive benefits, it also takes a system and equipment designed around the light source to realize those benefits. A properly designed system creates a dramatic image of the monument uniquely different from daylight views and better highlights its architectural feature.
“Our team is pleased to work with the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation to light this historic monument,” said Joe Crookham, president of Musco Lighting. “We hope this will create a more enjoyable and memorable viewing experience for many years to come, while also saving energy and being responsible to the environment and night sky.”
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help protect more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts and connect all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.
ABOUT MUSCO LIGHTING
Since 1976, Musco has specialized in sports, large area, and monument lighting with innovations in glare reduction and light control responsible to the needs of facility owners, users, neighbors, and the night sky.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
National Park Service
Mike Litterst
202-306-4166
[email protected]
National Park Foundation
Alanna Sobel
202-796-2538
[email protected]