Engineers in Washington will speak to the media Monday about when it might be possible to re-open the iconic Washington Monument, which was damaged by an earthquake last month.

The National Park Service says the damage evaluation continues on the nearly 170-meter obelisk, erected to honor the country's first president, George Washington.

Initial inspections revealed significant cracks caused the by magnitude 5.8 earthquake that rattled Washington and much of the eastern U.S. on August 23.

A National Park Service spokesman said the winterization process will be very important this year in an effort to keep water and snow out of the monument.