Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is a large, pre-War obelisk at the center of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is a United States Presidential Memorial constructed to honor George Washington.

Background
The Washington Monument is a memorial completed on December 6th, 1884, commemorating the first President of the United States, George Washington.

The battered remains of the monument are still standing, towering above the ruins of the old capital city and the battle-torn Mall. The Washington Monument can be seen from nearly anywhere in the Capital Wasteland; at 555 feet tall, it is the tallest structure in the D.C. area.

The Washington Monument has been claimed by the Brotherhood of Steel. They are guarding the tower, as it is an outpost and it contains the signal transmitter for Galaxy News Radio. Although the Brotherhood are leveled characters, they may be killed off by the more numerous super mutants.

Layout
The entrance of the monument contains two caved-in doors and an elevator. Only the elevator is accessible, which prompts a loading screen when activated. At the top, there are some machines, which are used to relay the Galaxy News Radio signal.

Outside the barricade to the northwest, a lone but well-armed paladin guards a checkpoint containing a stockpile of several Brotherhood-owned ammunition boxes and health items. Just beyond the checkpoint to the west, the north side of the Reflecting Pool has been mined. At least eight frag mines have been laid down to protect that approach. The defenses are not without cause, as up to five vicious dogs frequent the area and often skirmish with the paladin, sometimes setting off the mines as they advance.

To the southwest, another well-armed paladin will usually be found patrolling the perimeter outside the walls.

Related quests

 * Galaxy News Radio

Appearances
The Washington Monument appears only in Fallout 3, and is mentioned in Fallout 4 by Robert Joseph MacCready. It also appears in the Atomic Command Pip-Boy game.

Behind the scenes

 * The actual Washington Monument is built almost entirely of masonry; there is no steel framework in the interior.
 * The actual Washington Monument is much farther back from the Capitol building in real life. It is surrounded by grass in an open field rather than by buildings on the Mall. This example shows that the Fallout D.C. was built largely different from the real-world D.C.

Bugs

 * Sometimes, fast-traveling from the top of the monument will cause the elevator to stay on the top floor. Upon reentering the monument, you are in a room with blacked-out hallways and only the elevator is accessible. Entering it causes you to go down to the bottom floor and then have to go all the way up again.
 * If discovered before the "Galaxy News Radio" quest, Brotherhood of Steel Paladins patrolling the area will be hostile to the player.
 * The button panel inside the elevator does not shake with the elevator as it "travels". This is because it is not parented.
 * If Galaxy News Radio is played while installing the Virgo II dish, Three Dog will sometimes mention that Project Purity has already been completed, and that it has been two weeks since it started decontaminating water.