Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument. https://t.co/1SBpfmCMDd
— Atlas Obscura (@atlasobscura) February 24, 2023
The Washington Monument measures 555 feet and 5.125 inches tall. When it was finished in 1884, it was the tallest building on Earth.
Scaffolding was used to slowly bring the design erect, jutting into the sky over the city likewise named in George Washington's honor. Then the scaffolding was removed.
So how do people access the top of the structure when it's necessary to do maintenance? When an earthquake struck the D.C. area in 2011, master climbers rappelled down the monument, not up it. They started from a door hidden at the top.
Atlas Obscura tells us that the door is on the eastern side of the monument, which faces the Capitol building. From the photos, I'd estimate that it's about 18 inches across.