Located on the Houston Ship Channel, the San Jacinto Monument, a 567.31-foot-high obelisk, looms over the battlefield where Sam Houston’s Texian army won Texas its independence back in 1836. Typically, visitors can ascend the incredible monument to the observation deck, situated at an altitude of around 480 feet. There, visitors can enjoy a view at the 8.4-acre reflecting pool and the Houston Ship Channel below.
Unfortunately, the monument’s elevator and observation floor are currently closed, pending maintenance, the museum stated on its website.
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“Due to elevator issues and for the safety of our guests, the Observation Deck will be closed indefinitely,” museum staff said in an announcement on social media.”The extent of work needed on the elevator and the duration of the closure are still being determined. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Visitors can still enjoy the museum’s exhibit gallery.
Admission prices are reduced until elevator maintenance is completed: Adult admission is reduced to $10 and admission for children is reduced to $5.
The monument and museum are open Wednesdays through Sundays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As is oft said and oft proven true, everything’s bigger in Texas, and the San Jacinto Monument is no exception. The monument is both the world’s tallest masonry column and the world’s tallest war memorial. It weighs approximately 70 million tons. The 34-foot tall Texas Lone Star sitting atop the monument alone weighs approximately 220 tons.
The museum, chartered in 1938 to “preserve and revisualize the history of early Texas,” spans more than four centuries of early Texas history, from the beginnings of European activity in the New World through Texas’ history as a state in the United States. For a more concise Texas history lesson, simply look to the walls of the monument’s base, which are inscribed with the story of the War of Texas Independence, writ large and in under six hundred words.
1 Monument Cir., (281)479-2421; sanjacinto-museum.org