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The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the largest of the many reflecting pools in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
. It is a rectangular pool located on the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...
, directly east of the
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...
, with the World War II Memorial and
Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...
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 is approximately long and wide. The perimeter of the pool is therefore around. It has a depth of approximately on the sides and in the center. It holds approximately of water.


Restoration

Using funding from the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a Stimulus (economics), stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed ...
, the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
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 Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
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 Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...
. Construction on the 18-month, $30.74 million project began in November 2010. In May 2011, workers began sinking the first of 2,113 wood
piling A pile or piling is a vertical structural element of a deep foundation, driven or drilled deep into the ground at the building site. A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers building loads to the earth farther down from th ...
s into a layer of soft, marshy river
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
and some dredged material atop
bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...
to support a new pool. The pool reopened on August 31, 2012. The project was managed by the
Louis Berger Group Louis Berger (formerly known as Berger Group Holdings) is a full-service engineering, architecture, planning, environmental, program and construction management and economic development firm based in Morristown, New Jersey. Founded in 1953 in H ...
.


Post-restoration operation

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 Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
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. In 2013, construction on the National World War II Memorial damaged the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool. NPS workers closed the eastern of the pool in August 2015 to repair the basin, work that was completed in the summer of 2016. The Reflecting Pool was completely drained in June 2017 to control a parasitical outbreak. The parasite, which causes
swimmer's itch Swimmer's itch, cercarial dermatitis or schistosome dermatitis is a short-term allergic contact dermatitis occurring in the Human skin, skin of humans that have been infected by water-borne schistosomatidae, schistosomes, a type of Trematoda, fl ...
, infects snails which inhabit the pool. More than 80 ducks and ducklings have died at the pool due to parasitical infection since May 20. Park Service workers said the work and refilling of the pool would take 10 days.


Historic events

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 Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...
was denied permission to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington because she was
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
. 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 The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (commonly known as the March on Washington or the Great March on Washington) was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic righ ...
used the area for its
Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
rally. It was there that
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
gave his "
I Have a Dream "I Have a Dream" is a Public speaking, public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, Kin ...
" speech, delivered to a crowd of 250,000 people. *On October 21, 1967, 100,000
anti-Vietnam War Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1965 with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War, United States in the war. Over the next several years, these demonstrations grew ...
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. *In 2010, the restoration project began. *On August 28, 2010, the Restoring Honor rally was held. Notable speakers included Alveda King, the niece of
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
, former vice presidential candidate
Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nomi ...
, and the event's organizer
Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...
. *As of 2012, the restoration project was completed and the pool was reopened on August 31. *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 Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
, the only living speaker from the original rally. *On January 19, 2021, then
President-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Un ...
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
and then Vice President-elect
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
held a memorial honoring the 400,000
Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...
who had died in the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...
.


Gallery

Image:Reflecting pool.jpg, The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool seen from the
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...
in 2004 Image: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 Image:Rehabilitation works Reflecting Pool 12 2011 DC 000102.JPG, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool undergoing reconstruction in December 2011 File:DC monument view from Lincoln memorial.jpg, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after reconstruction in May 2016 Image:15 23 0092 washington memorial.jpg, The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at sunset in August 2015 Image:Reflecting Pool at night from the roof of the Lincoln Memorial..jpg, The
Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...
seen in the Reflecting Pool from the roof of the Lincoln Memorial in June 2010


See also

* Capitol Reflecting Pool * Rainbow Pool


References


External links


Photos of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool


{{Portal bar, United States 1923 establishments in Washington, D.C. Fountains in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials to Abraham Lincoln in the United States National Mall Ponds of the United States