For once we have some President’s Day news that does not involve incredible deals on mattresses. On Monday, the National Park Service announced that philanthropist David Rubenstein has donated $18 million to renovate the Lincoln Memorial. The money will go toward cleaning the monument, fixing its roof, and adding a second elevator to improve accessibility. The Park Service also plans to open up 15,000 square feet beneath the memorial for classrooms and exhibits — including a look at the foundations and the graffiti left behind by those who constructed the monument between 1914 and 1922. The Park Service will devote $800,000 to the restoration, and President Obama’s budget includes a request for $2.2 million for the project. Rubenstein has contributed tens of millions of dollars to fixing up other D.C. monuments over the years, and said he thinks, “Lincoln deserves to have his memorial in tip-top shape.”
