Forty visitors and two park rangers were forced to take the stairs down the Washington Monument on Tuesday after an elevator got stuck at the 280-foot level.There were 19 people on the elevator and 23 at the observation level.

The monument, measuring 555 feet, was closed Tuesday afternoon for repairs. The monument reopened on time Wednesday morning.

In 2011, a magnitude-5.8 earthquake caused extensive damage to the structure. After a $15 million, nearly three-year repair job, the monument reopened to the public on May 12, 2014.

The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first American president.

The monument is made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss.Washington Monument is the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk

It is the tallest monumental column in the world if all are measured above their pedestrian entrances, but two are taller when measured above ground, though they are neither all stone nor true obelisks