The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is located at the south of the Tidal basin, in
West Potomac Park. It's open April - September at 8:00 AM - 11:45 PM, and October
- March at 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM.
To add on to quasi's great writeup on the memorial, the memorial itself was designed by Architect John Russell Pope to reflect
Jefferson's architectural tastes - it is modeled after the Pantheon of Rome,
a neoclassical architecture, and the architecture of his home, Monticello. Originally
at the building of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the building site was criticized
because it resulted in removing Japanese cherry trees from the Tidal Basin,
and the architecture was criticized because it'd clash with the design of the
Lincoln Memorial. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt urged that the construction
would proceed, and he laid the cornerstone of the Memorial.
Inside is a sculpture of Thomas Jefferson by Rudolph Evans, which looks out
from inside the memorial to the White House, which is straight to the North. (quasi was right when he said it faces the Washington Monument, however it's meant to and does face the White House).
It stands 19 feet tall, and weighs 5 tons. On the triangular pediment is a sculpture
by Adolph A. Weinman of the five members of the drafting committee for the Declaration
of Independence.
On the interior of the structure of the Memorial, there are also five quotations
of Jefferson's writings about his principles.
"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure
these rights governments are instituted among men. We... solemn publish and
declare, that these colonies are and of a right ought to be to be free and
independent states… And for the support of this declaration, with a
firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge
our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
- from Declaration of Independence
""Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens...are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion...No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."
- from "A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom"
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be
secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of
God ?…"
- from a letter to George Washington in 1786
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitution,
but laws and institutions go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind…We
might as well require a man to wear the same coat that fitted him when he was
a boy.."
- from a letter to Samuel Kerchevel.
After World War II restrictions on the use of metals were lifted, the plaster
statue of Thomas Jefferson was replaced with a bronze metal statue.