Lincoln Memorial Design and Symbolism

Lincoln Memorial Design and Symbolism

When visitors approach the memorial dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, many are taken aback by its majestic temple-like appearance. The individual responsible for this design was architect Henry Bacon who modeled the memorial after the Greek temple known as the Parthenon. Bacon felt that a memorial to a man who defended democracy should be based on a structure found in the birthplace of democracy. The final design featured 36 exterior columns to symbolize the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. The names of those states appear in the frieze above the columns. The interior of the Lincoln Memorial is divided into three chambers. The central chamber contains the statue of the president, while the two flanking chambers commemorate the two Lincoln speeches that reflected Lincoln's character as well as celebrate his accomplishments during his presidency. The two speeches selected were the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address.

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