Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial was built to honor Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. Lincoln was assassinated during office and was honored as one of the most amazing men alive. The Lincoln Memorial has a 19-foot tall, 175-ton statue of Lincoln right in the center. If you are standing at the reflecting pool you can see the reflection of the monument in the water. It has 36 columns representing each state at Lincoln’s death. The monument was inspired by ancient Greek temples. Most say the monument covers a “tragic” time in history. Some disagree. Some say it should not have been built and lots go and vandalize the monument every year. There have been many occasions where the monument has had paint thrown on