21, 1937, and two years later construction ended, also on the anniversary date, April 21, 1939. Jesse H. Jones was in attendance along with the commencement ceremony in 1939 when he and Sam Houston's last surviving son, Andrew Jackson Houston, and others officially dedicated the monument. The project was completed in exactly three years costing $1.5 million. The funds were provided by both the Texas legislature and the United States Congress. From its opening, the monument has been run by the nonprofit association, the San Jacinto Museum of History Association. In 1966, the monument was placed under the control of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Parks Department allows the history association to continue its oversight of the monument. The monument was renovated in 1983. In 1990, the base of the monument was redone to contain the San Jacinto Museum of History and the Jesse H. Jones Theatre for Texas Studies. The exterior of the monument underwent a further renovation in 1995, and the entire structure was renovated from 2004 through 2006. Description The San Jacinto monument is an octagonal column. It was built by W.S. Bellows Construction and primarily constructed of reinforced concrete. Its exterior is faced with Texas limestone from a quarry near the Texas State Capitol. It stands tall and is the tallest monument column in the world. It is taller than the next tallest, the Juche Tower in North Korea. The base of the monument contains a museum and a 160-seat theater. The base is decorated with eight engraved panels depicting the history of Texas. The bronze doors which allow entry into the museum show the six flags of Texas. At the point where the shaft rises from the base, it is square (). The shaft narrows to square () at the observation deck. At the top of the monument is a 220-ton, high star, representing the Lone Star of Texas. A reflecting pool shows the entire shaft. As of 2006, approximately 250,000 people visited the monument each year, including 40,000 children on school trips. Inscription An inscription on the monument tells the story of the birth of Texas: Gallery See also San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site San Jacinto Day Notes References External links Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Official San Jacinto Monument webpage San Jacinto Museum of History The Portal to Texas History: Images of the San Jacinto Monument American Society of Civil