Melania Trump will formally reopen the Washington Monument next week, participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony and riding the elevator to the top.

The first lady will be front and center next Thursday when the famous landmark reopens to the public after it was closed for three years for repairs, her office announced on Friday.

Billionaire benefactor David Rubenstein stepped in with a $7.5 million donation to help fund the work – including repairing its elevator and shoring up its structure.

Melania Trump will take part in ribbon cutting ceremony and riding the elevator to the top

The Washington Monument reopens next Thursday after being closed for three years for repairs

The monument had been closed on and off for more than five years since the August 23, 2011, earthquake that struck the nation's capital and the rest of the Eastern seaboard.

Between 2014 and 2016, its elevator to the top of the 555-foot marble and granite structure broke down 24 times, often stranding visitors.

It was closely fully for repairs in 2016.

The monument honors George Washington, the nation's first president, and is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the National Mall, an obelisk that towers over the city's landscape.

It averaged 500,000 visitors a year before it closed.

The Washington Monument's cornerstone was laid July 4, 1848, at a ceremony attended by President James K. Polk and then-Rep. Abraham Lincoln.

Its observatory at the top offers the best view of the city with the National Mall, the White House and the U.S. Capitol building all in its sight lines.

The first lady will cut the ribbon and ride the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument

The monument was damaged in the 2011 earthquake that struck the East Coast

Billionaire benefactor David Rubenstein stepped in with a $7.5 million donation to help repair the monument

The earthquake caused numerous cracks to form in the obelisk, which was the tallest man-made structure in the world when it was completed in 1884 until it was eclipsed by the Eiffel Tower. It remains the tallest structure in Washington.

Surveillance video taken the day of the quake and later released by the park service showed the spire shaking violently. Daylight could be seen through some of the cracks, the largest of which was reported to be at least 4ft-long and about an inch wide.

The total repair cost of $15 million was funded by taxpayer dollars and the donation from Rubenstein.

Rubenstein, the co-founder of the Carlyle group, is worth an estimated $2.6 billion.

A history buff, Rubenstein is among the billionaires who have pledged to give at least half their money to philanthropic causes in their lifetime.