What was the tallest structure in the world from 1884 until 1889?

The Washington Monument was the tallest structure in the world from 1884 until 1889.

The obelisk in Washington, D.C., reaches about 555 feet according to the National Park Service. Its construction began in 1848, stopped in 1854 because of funding and political difficulties, and resumed in 1877. The stone structure was completed in 1884.

The monument surpassed Cologne Cathedral as the world’s tallest structure when it was topped out. It held that distinction until the Eiffel Tower in Paris was completed in 1889. The Washington Monument was therefore the world’s tallest building or structure for only about five years, despite remaining a major engineering achievement.

Architect Robert Mills designed the original monument. Financial limits led to the omission of his proposed surrounding colonnade, leaving the familiar plain obelisk. The monument’s exterior uses more than one type of white marble because construction was interrupted and later materials came from a different quarry.