July 26, 2013 -- Updated 1647 GMT (0047 HKT) Paint is splattered on a leg and base of the 19-foot Abraham Lincoln statue, police say Washington (CNN) -- Officials are hopeful that the chamber containing the Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial, which was vandalized overnight, can be reopened sometime Friday, National Park Service spokeswoman Carol Johnson told reporters. The memorial's portico -- the columned area outside the chamber -- should be reopen before that, in the late morning, she said. Workers are cleaning the paint that had been splashed onto part of the marble statue, she said. Watch: Obama surprises visitors at the Lincoln Memorial Vandals splashed green paint on the base of the statue overnight, prompting officials to temporarily close the marble fixture on Washington's National Mall, authorities said. Police were alerted just before 1:30 a.m. and found paint splattered on the leg and base of the 19-foot-tall statue of Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Park Police Capt. Steven Booker told CNN on Friday. The memorial, one of the more iconic features of Washington, honors the 16th U.S. president. More than 6 million people visited the Lincoln Memorial in 2012, the National Park Service says. See also: Controversial MLK Memorial inscription to be removed