This 178-foot-tall column, the country's first major architectural memorial to George Washington, was designed in 1815 by Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument (begun in 1848) in Washington, D.C. To learn the whole story, see the exhibit inside the building. The physically fit can also climb the 228 steps to the top of the tower and see why this spot has what's often called the best view in Baltimore. The monument takes center stage on the city's seal.