The Washington Monument covered in scaffolding, in January 1999. (Photo by Leon Reed)

The Washington Monument is set to undergo roughly a year of repairs from the August 2011 earthquake, and the first step will be the installation of scaffolding along the outside of the monument. WTOP reports today that the scaffolding could start going up as early as next week.

A Massachusetts firm was chosen last year to do roughly $9.6 million worth of repairs on the obelisk, which cracked in places after the 2011 tremor. All told, repairs are expected to cost $15 million, part of which will be covered by a donation from philanthropist David Rubenstein.

The last time the Washington Monument was surrounded by scaffolding was almost 15 years ago, and it was a sight to behold.