Phallic architecture
The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is often seen as a prime example of phallic architecture and American masculinity. The towering monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, it is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing according to the National Park Service. Construction of the monument began in 1848, was halted from 1854 to 1877, and was completed in 1884. In a "Journal" review, dated 17 October 1911, Arnold Bennett said of the monument, "Saw Washington monument. Phallic. Appalling. A national catastrophe – only equalled by the Albert Memorial. Tiny doll-like people waiting to go into it." Dan Burstein says of it, "Speaking of sex symbols, there is no more phallic symbol in existence than the Washington Monument, and the Capitol dome can be viewed as breastlike." James Webb used a metaphor to praise the "uplift[ing]" power of the Washington Monument as a white phallus, "piercing the air like a bayonet". In the futuristic film "Hardwired", set in the United States where everything noteworthy is commercialized, the Washington Monument is used as a giant Trojan condoms billboard.
United States Capitol cornerstone laying
Workers began excavating the foundations of the United States Capitol in July 1793. During construction of the foundation, building commissioner David Stuart wrote to other members of the capitol commission suggesting a cornerstone ceremony be held. At their September 2 meeting, the commission agreed with Stuart, setting a date for the ceremony a little more than two weeks later.
At 10:00 a.m. on September 18, President of the United States George Washington and his entourage crossed the Potomac River to arrive in the city of Washington. There, they were joined by an escort consisting of the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery, and members of Masonic lodges from Virginia and Maryland, and proceeded to the construction grounds approximately away. At the site of the Capitol, Washington was received by Joseph Clark, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Maryland. A silver plaque, fashioned by Georgetown silversmith Caleb Bentley, was handed to Washington, who stepped into the foundation trench and placed the plaque, whereupon the cornerstone was lowered. The plaque was inscribed with a brief tribute to the "military valor and prudence" of Washington, and dedicated the building in the "first year, of the second term, of the presidency of George Washington ... and in the year of Masonry 5,793."