It's been a year and a half since an earthquake struck the D.C. metro area. Work to fix the damage done to the Washington Monument began this week.

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Over the next three months, the facade of the iconic landmark will change.

Starting next week, construction workers will gather at the base of the obelisk and begin building scaffolding at a pace of 10 feet a day. By May, the entire 555-foot structure will be encased.

They'll spend the next year repairing and strengthening the landmark.

National Park Service Manager Sean Kennealy is overseeing the project.

"...sealing some of the cracks that occurred during the earthquake They're gonna be repairing some of the stones by actually resetting some of the stones that were actually damaged," Kennealy explained.

During the construction not only will there be scaffolding, but a large perimeter will remain around the monument - to the dismay of many visitors.

Tourist Julian Peterson of Williamsburg, Va. said, "It's kinda sad, because some people may never be able to see it again...this may be the only time they're in D.C. But it'll be cool when it's done."