A little snow Monday didn't prevent an outdoor ceremony to acknowledge philanthropist David Rubenstein for his $18.5 million donation to help restore the Lincoln Memorial/NPS

A philanthropist who already has given more than $25 million to cover needed repairs and restoration of National Park Service properties in Washington, D.C., has given another $18.5 million for needed work on the Lincoln Memorial. 

During a ceremony Monday businessman and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein presented the National Park Foundation with a check to cover repairs and restoration of the Lincoln Memorial and provide future visitors a view of the foundation pillars and historical mementos from workers who built the monument. Presented on Presidents Day and during the National Park Service’s Centennial year, the donation is intended to help people better understand the significance of the nation’s 16th president, and preserve his ideals and values, an Interior Department release said.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was joined at the Lincoln Memorial by Mr. Rubenstein, philanthropist and Co-CEO of The Carlyle Group; Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service; Will Shafroth, president of the National Park Foundation; Al Baldwin, vice-chair, National Park Foundation board of directors and chair of the Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, and; Gay Vietzke, National Mall and Memorial Parks superintendent.

“David Rubenstein’s generous donation will promote and protect one of the Nation’s most hallowed symbols and comes at a critical time as our national parks usher in a new century of service,” Secretary Jewell said. “This donation will not only safeguard one of our most visited and recognizable memorials, but will preserve Lincoln’s legacy for future generations to appreciate.”

Mr. Rubenstein’s gift to the National Park Foundation’s Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks will allow the National Park Service to repair damaged brick and marble masonry and gently clean the memorial, conserve the Jules Guérin murals located above the memorial’s inscriptions, renovate 15,000 square feet of space, including education and research areas, and add an elevator to improve accessibility. The donation will also provide future visitors with a glimpse of the memorial’s foundational pillars, which anchor the memorial to the bedrock, and of the graffiti of the workers who built the monument in the early 20th century.

“Beyond honoring Abraham Lincoln and his presidency, the Lincoln Memorial has stood witness to key events and significant figures in America’s Civil Rights Movement, from Marian Anderson to Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Director  Jarvis said. “We are honored that David Rubenstein’s generous gift and patriotism will help the National Park Service tell the diverse stories of America’s past and demonstrate their continued importance to our nation.”

Mr. Rubenstein’s donations benefiting the national parks include $7.5 million in 2012 to restore the Washington Monument after the earthquake in 2011, $12.35 million to restore Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, in 2014, and $5.37 million to refurbish the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in 2015.

“These improvements will hopefully enable more people to better understand and appreciate Abraham Lincoln’s remarkable leadership during one the most trying period’s in American history,” Mr. Rubenstein said. “I am humbled to be a part of honoring this great man and preserving this iconic memorial for future generations.”

From its inception, the National Park System has benefited from private support. Many of the earliest national parks were the direct beneficiaries of generous philanthropists who stepped forward to keep national parks protected and open to everyone.