10 Facts About the Washington Monument as It Reopens

May 12, 2014 — -- The Washington Monument is back in business.

After a nearly three-year, $15 million renovation to repair damage caused by the earthquake that shook its foundation in August 2011, the iconic marble tower reopened during a ceremony Monday morning, allowing the first visitors to travel to the top since the earthquake hit.

The earthquake left a crack at the top of the monument and many smaller ones throughout.

Federal taxpayers footed $7.5 million of the cost. The other $7.5 million came from David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, a Washington-based asset management firm that manages $199 billion across 120 funds.

Rubenstein has said he wants donors to follow a model of "patriotic philanthropy." He has made major gifts to the National Archives and Library of Congress, The Associated Press reported.

At the ceremony, Rubenstein called his donation a "symbol of what I think other Americans can do with their money."

For 32 months, tourists were barred from entering the memorial after the 5.8-magnitude earthquake caused more than 150 cracks in the solid stone structure.