The National Park Service recently hosted a special ceremony to light the Washington National Monument as it undergoes repairs from damages caused by the 2011 earthquake. The Monument lights up each night at dusk with 488 TRACE*LITE fixtures manufactured by Barron Lighting Group, Phoenix, making it appear to glow in the dark.
The designer for this illumination project chose a decorative blue-gray scrim that covers the scaffolding to preserve the shape of the Monument and replicate its marble blocks. The luminaires are mounted inside the scrim to create that luminescent glow. Sensors were installed that will illuminate the national icon each night until it reopens sometime in spring 2014. During the ceremony, National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis said in his speech about the project, “We wanted it to look attractive because it’s going to look like this for the next 12 months.”