Last month, America celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial, a temple to democracy that sits in silent repose on the western edge of the National Mall.
Sculpted from 28 blocks of white Georgia marble, even seated Lincoln has a 30-foot height advantage over the millions who make the pilgrimage annually to get selfies with the president who preserved the Union.
With only the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool between them, the 170-ton president stares resolutely at the Washington Monument on the opposite side of the mall. Lincoln has maintained that stare through a century of changing seasons, presidential administrations and wild swings in national temperament.
