TIA Blog

Most Washingtonians are familiar with the 1899 and 1910 Height of Buildings Act, which ended the myth that no building in the District of Columbia can be taller than the Washington Monument.

Consider these facts:

At its 100 meters, and benefiting from a hill on which it stands, the tallest habitable building in the U.S. Capital city is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is also the eighth largest church in the world.

At 555 feet in height, the iconic Washington Monument, the tallest obelisk in the world, is the tallest structure in the city, excluding radio towers.

The tallest – 761 feet high! – freestanding structure in the Washington metropolitan area, built on January 15th, 1989 is the Hughes Memorial Tower — only 225 feet shorter than the Eiffel Tower!

Primarily a radio transmission tower, the Hughes Tower transmits signals from the Metropolitan Police Department – and because of this, it falls into the few exceptions to the Height of Buildings Act, since it complies with all requirements listed in the DC Code Ann §6-601.05.

As we continue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Project 25 and 55th anniversary of the TIA-222 Structural steel standard for steel antenna towers and supporting structures, why not commemorate the 25th anniversary of the tallest radio transmission tower in the Nation's Capital built based on the RS-222 standard to handle voice and wireless communication for public safety agencies?

Happy Silver Anniversary, Hughes Memorial Tower!