<P> With Congressional approval and a $300,000 allocation , the project got underway . On February 12 , 1914 , a dedication ceremony was conducted and the following month the actual construction began . Work progressed steadily according to schedule . Some changes were made to the plan . The statue of Lincoln , originally designed to be 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) tall , was enlarged to 19 feet ( 5.8 m ) to prevent it from being overwhelmed by the huge chamber . As late as 1920 , the decision was made to substitute an open portal for the bronze and glass grille which was to have guarded the entrance . Despite these changes , the Memorial was finished on schedule . Commission president William H. Taft -- who was then Chief Justice of the United States -- dedicated the Memorial on May 30 , 1922 and presented it to President Warren G. Harding , who accepted it on behalf of the American people . Lincoln 's only surviving son , 78 - year - old Robert Todd Lincoln , was in attendance . </P>
<P> With Congressional approval and a $300,000 allocation , the project got underway . On February 12 , 1914 , a dedication ceremony was conducted and the following month the actual construction began . Work progressed steadily according to schedule . Some changes were made to the plan . The statue of Lincoln , originally designed to be 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) tall , was enlarged to 19 feet ( 5.8 m ) to prevent it from being overwhelmed by the huge chamber . As late as 1920 , the decision was made to substitute an open portal for the bronze and glass grille which was to have guarded the entrance . Despite these changes , the Memorial was finished on schedule . Commission president William H. Taft -- who was then Chief Justice of the United States -- dedicated the Memorial on May 30 , 1922 and presented it to President Warren G. Harding , who accepted it on behalf of the American people . Lincoln 's only surviving son , 78 - year - old Robert Todd Lincoln , was in attendance . </P>
when did construction begin on the lincoln memorial
when did construction begin on the lincoln memorial
February 12 , 1914
February 12 , 1914