Designed as a Greek temple, the Lincoln Memorial has 36 Doric columns, representing the number of Union states in 1865, at the time of the 16th US president's death. Sculpted out of white marble by Daniel Chester French, the statue (5.7m tall) of the president presides at the top of a flight of steps. The Gettysburg Address, delivered by Lincoln as the Civil War was raging, is inscribed into the left-hand wall (1863). There is a grandiose view over the Reflecting Pool from the top of the steps.