USA

Washington Monument to Reopen 3 Years After Quake

A worker removes fencing which closed the Washington Monument off to the public during renovations, May 9, 2014, in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Monument, one of the U.S. capital's most recognizable sights, will reopen Monday, nearly three years after sustaining damage from a rare earthquake.

The memorial honoring the first American president, George Washington, has been closed for about 33 months for engineers to conduct an extensive analysis and restoration of the 169-meter stone obelisk that was once the tallest structure in the world. It is 130 years old.

New exhibits have been installed at the top, and visitors can once again ride an elevator to look out from the highest point in Washington, D.C.

The 2011 quake rattled a large swathe of the U.S. East Coast, a region not usually prone to earthquakes.

It also caused significant damage to Washington's National Cathedral.