... five years, when it was surpassed by Paris' Eiffel Tower. It remains the world's tallest freestanding masonry structure, constructed entirely of stacked granite and marble blocks with no metal structural supports. The only metal portion is the uppermost tip " a 100-ounce pyramid of aluminum, which in the 1880s ... of the monument. Special scaffolding had to be used during the outside phase of the process to avoid drilling holes into the granite and marble blocks. The special scaffolding was designed to push against the building, much like a rubber band wrapped around a block of stone. Th...

• Word Count: 3266
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School