Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

thumb|upright=1.1|Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in September 2016, facing east towards the [[Washington Monument]]

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the largest of the many reflecting pools in Washington, D.C. It is a rectangular pool located on the National Mall, directly east of the Lincoln Memorial, with the World War II Memorial and Washington Monument to the east of the reflecting pool.

Part of the iconic image of Washington, D.C., the reflecting pool hosts many of the 24 million visitors who visit the National Mall annually. It is lined by walking paths and shade trees on both sides. Depending on the viewer's vantage point, it dramatically reflects the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall's trees, and the expansive sky.

Description

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was designed by Henry Bacon, and was constructed in 1922 and 1923, following the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. It was approximately long and wide. The perimeter of the pool was therefore around. It had a depth of approximately on the sides and in the center. It held approximately of water.

Restoration

Using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the National Park Service reconstructed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The pool's water supply system was updated to eliminate stagnant water by circulating water from the Tidal Basin; the pool was formerly filled using potable water from the city. Paved walking paths were added to the north and south sides of the pool to replace worn grass and to prevent further erosion. Construction on the 18-month, $30.74 million project began in November 2010. In May 2011, workers began sinking the first of 2,133 wood pilings into a layer of soft, marshy river clay and some dredged material atop bedrock to support a new pool. The pool reopened on August 31, 2012. The project was managed by the Louis Berger Group.

Post-restoration operation

thumb|Painting the Reflecting Pool blue, April 2026

Within weeks of the pool's reopening in 2012, it had to be drained and cleaned at a cost of $100,000 due to algae in the pool. The algae growth was so extensive it almost completely covered the surface of the pool. Using an ozone disinfectant system installed during the renovation, the National Park Service said it would double the amount of algae-killing ozone in the pool to control future outbreaks.

The Reflecting Pool was completely drained in June 2017 to control a schistosome outbreak. The parasite, which causes swimmer's itch, infects snails (the intermediate host) that inhabit the pool, and ultimately killed more than 80 ducks and ducklings (the definitive host) in a few weeks during spring 2017.

In April 2026, President Donald Trump announced that a new surface, in a color he called "American flag blue", was being laid down over the stone bottom of the pool. Trump chose the color, contractor and other factors without the typical reviews by federal agencies, opportunity for public comment and congressional approval. Atlantic Industrial Coatings, a company that had never had a federal contract before, was provided a no-bid contract to fix leaks from the dozens of joints and waterproof the slab bottom. The White House said that a no-bid contract was necessary because the situation was so urgent that any delay would cause "serious injury" to the government. President Trump initially stated that the cost of the project would be $1.8 million, but on May 8, 2026, the Interior Department said they planned to pay $13.1 million. On May 11, 2026, a nonprofit group called The Cultural Landscape Foundation sued the Trump Administration to prevent the painting.

Historic events

thumb|upright=.9|[[Anti-Vietnam War protesters at the pool for the March on the Pentagon on October 21, 1967]]

Located at the base of the Lincoln Memorial's steps, the Reflecting Pool area has been the site of many historic events, including:

In 1939, singer Marian Anderson was denied permission to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington because she was African American. An open-air concert was held on Easter Sunday, with a crowd of over 75,000 people.
On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom used the area for its Civil Rights rally. It was there that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered to a crowd of 250,000 people.
On October 21, 1967, 100,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters met at the pool and memorial to begin the March on the Pentagon.
In 2009, We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was held, with a crowd of 400,000 people.
On August 28, 2010, the Restoring Honor rally was held. Notable speakers included Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and the event's organizer Glenn Beck.
In November 2010 the restoration project began.
On August 31, 2012, the restoration project was completed and the pool was reopened.
On December 31, 2012, National Park Rangers, using their personal funds and time, lit over 2,000 candles around the reflecting pool in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, where the Park Service rang in the New Year with a Night Watch and Freedom Vigil and the singing of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee".
On August 28, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech was commemorated by an all-day event. The event featured various speakers including then President Barack Obama and John Lewis, the only living speaker from the original rally.
On August 28, 2020, the Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks was organized and held by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III. The March came in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter Protests. Speakers included Sharpton, King, then vice-president nominee Kamala Harris, as well as family members of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, and other victims of racial violence.
On January 19, 2021, then president-elect Joe Biden and then vice president-elect Kamala Harris held a memorial honoring the 400,000 Americans who had by that time died in the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Gallery

File:15 Lincoln Memorial with crowd along Reflecting Pool. (03949973-fcdf-4df6-bd33-f2a87baf7bf5).jpg|Lincoln Memorial with crowd along Reflecting Pool in May 1922

File:People on Ice Over Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 2010.02.07.JPG|Ice covering the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after the February 5–6, 2010 North American blizzard

File:DC 23 1 (6633835613).jpg|Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before reconstruction in April 2010

File:National Mall undergoing renovations - Stierch.jpg|Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool undergoing reconstruction in June 2011

File:15 23 0092 washington memorial.jpg|The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at sunset in August 2015

File:Reflecting Pool at night from the roof of the Lincoln Memorial..jpg|The Washington Monument seen in the Reflecting Pool from the roof of the Lincoln Memorial in June 2010

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References

External links

Photos of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Is Being Overhauled by Trump’s Pool Contractor. It will be tinted “American flag blue.” Artnet News, April 24, 2026
NBC Washington: Changes Planned for Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool