The Washington Monument is less than 553 ft tall.
=== Lightning protection ===The pyramidion, the pointed top 55 feet (17 m) of the monument, was originally designed with an 8
 The "height stones" refer to two stones that indicate height: during the first phase of construction a stone with an inscription that includes the phrase "from the foundation to this height 100 feet" (30 m) was installed just below the 8090-foot (2427 m) stairway and high above the 6070-foot (1821 m) stairway;:sheet 25:52 during the second phase of construction a stone with a horizontal line and the phrase "top of statue on Capitol" was installed on the 330-foot (100 m) level

