We all love a good landmark, and America certainly has plenty of them. But what most people don’t realize is how many of our famous places have little tricks built right into them. These include hidden rooms & sneaky engineering. Here are twelve U.S. landmarks with secret design features. Which one impresses you the most?
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Mount Rushmore’s sealed Hall of Records
There’s a carved-out chamber behind Lincoln’s massive head on Mount Rushmore…but most people never see it. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum wanted to put a huge archive there. Unfortunately, construction stopped in 1941. It took them decades to use the Hall for something, which was putting a titanium box filled with porcelain panels & documents inside.
Grand Central’s whispering gallery
The domed arches near the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal aren’t simply for looks. Nope, the tiles form a curve that carries sound so well that two people standing in opposite corners could whisper & hear each other across the space. Try it yourself.
Washington Monument’s aluminum tip
Most people think the pointy top of the Washington Monument is made of stone. It’s not. When it was finished in 1884, the builders capped it with a shiny aluminum pyramid, which was important back then because aluminum was rare & pricey. The pyramid weighs around 100 ounces and is less than 9 inches tall.
Lincoln Memorial’s hidden undercroft
There’s a huge basement under Lincoln’s statue that hardly anyone notices. It includes plenty of old concrete supports that are stained with graffiti that the original crews left more than 100 years ago. Altogether, the space covers about 15,000 square feet & it’ll be open for visitors around 2026.
Gateway Arch’s rotating tram capsules
Getting to the top of St. Louis’s Gateway Arch is hardly a normal elevator ride because inside each leg are tiny round pods that each hold a few riders. The pods twist automatically to stay level as they creep upward & they turn more than 150 degrees during the trip. Interestingly, it’s the only system of its kind.
Hoover Dam’s terrazzo star map
You’ll find a star chart in terrazzo on the Hoover Dam’s Nevada side, near two tall bronze statues. The star map matches the night sky exactly as it looked on the Dam’s dedication day in 1935. In fact, even in thousands of years’ time, astronomers could still use the layout to calculate that date. That’s just how accurate this celestial map truly is.
Brooklyn Bridge’s Cold War bunker
You might not think that the Brooklyn Bridge could still be hiding secrets, but it is. In 2006, workers rediscovered a fallout shelter deep inside one of the stone anchorages. It was filled with Civil Defense rations & blankets, along with sealed water drums. The bunker was built during the 1950s.
U.S. Capitol’s unused burial crypt
Under the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building, you’ll find a round chamber called the Crypt. What was it for? Well, it was meant to hold George Washington’s tomb, although his family refused to put it there, so now the space supports the Rotunda floor. It features sturdy columns and houses statues & exhibits that make it the literal center of the Capitol.
Statue of Liberty’s flexible skeleton
Sure, the Statue of Liberty looks like it’s made from solid copper. But she’s basically wearing armor over a metal skeleton that Gustave Eiffel engineered, using a central pylon & armatures. This allows the copper skin to expand and move several inches in strong winds without damage. You can actually see the support beams inside.
Washington National Cathedral’s Darth Vader carving
Try using a pair of binoculars to look at the towers of the Washington National Cathedral because you’ll see Darth Vader’s head at the top. Architects added it in the 1980s after a kids’ design contest, and while there are hundreds of other carvings decorating the church, this one’s by far the strangest.
Monticello’s concealed wine dumbwaiters
Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home had an unusual party trick. On either side of the dining room fireplace, there are tiny hidden elevators that carry wine bottles straight up from the cellar. Workers below would load the dumbwaiters & pull a rope, then voilà, fresh wine appeared in the room.
New York Public Library’s underground stacks
Under the New York Public Library’s Bryant Park side, you’ll find a huge underground storage system with two full levels beneath the lawn that holds millions of books. In 2016, they added a “book train.” This is a motorized rail system that shoots requested books straight to the main reading rooms above.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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