The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the largest of the many reflecting pools in Washington, D.C. Dedicated in 1922, it is a 2,030-by-167-foot (619 by 51 m) concrete-bottomed rectangular pool located on the National Mall, in-between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.^[1]

The Reflecting Pool hosts many of the 24 million visitors who visit the National Mall annually.^[2] It is lined by walking paths and shade trees on both sides. Depending on the viewer's vantage point, it reflects the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall's trees, and the sky.^[3]

Many marches and events have been held at the Reflecting Pool, such as the March on Washington^[4] and the Commitment March.^[5] A celebration of the then soon to occur inauguration of Barack Obama named the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was held in the area on the January 18, 2009.^[6]

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was designed by Henry Bacon. Groundbreaking was in 1914 and it was dedicated on May 30, 1922, following the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial.^[3] During its construction, it was nicknamed by some sources as a 'water mirror'.^[7] When originally constructed, it was approximately 2,028 feet (618 m; 3⁄8 mi) long and 167 feet (51 m) wide.^[8] The perimeter of the pool was therefore 4,392 feet (1,339 meters; 13⁄16 mile) around. It was completely rebuilt between 2010 and 2012.^[9] The pool was originally built with an asphalt and tile bottom,^[10] but was replaced with concrete in the 2009 restoration. The nearby walkways and the rim of the Reflecting Pool are also made of granite.^[11]

Using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the National Park Service reconstructed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.^[12] 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 40-foot-deep (12-meter) layer of soft, marshy river clay and some dredged up material atop bedrock to support a new pool.^[9] 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.^[12] Paved walking paths were added to the north and south sides of the pool to replace worn grass and to prevent erosion.^[13] The pool reopened on August 31, 2012. The project was managed by the Louis Berger Group.^[14]

Within weeks of the pool's reopening in 2012, it had to be drained and cleaned for $100,000 due to algae in the pool. The algae growth almost completely covered the surface of the pool.^[15] Using an ozone disinfectant system installed during the renovation,^[16] the National Park Service said it would double the amount of algae-killing ozone in the pool to control future outbreaks.^[15] In 2013, construction on the National World War II Memorial damaged the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool. NPS workers closed the eastern 30 feet (9 meters) of the pool in August 2015 to repair the basin, work that was completed in the summer of 2016.^[17] The Reflecting Pool was completely drained in June 2017 to control a schistosome outbreak. The parasite, which causes swimmer's itch, infected the snails that inhabited the pool, and ultimately killed more than 80 ducks and ducklings in a few weeks during spring 2017.^[18]

In April 2026, President Donald Trump announced the resurfacing of the concrete bottom of the pool, in a color he called "American flag blue", had begun.^[19][20] The reason given by Trump and the Trump administration for this project was to make the pool "beautiful"^[19] and to remove algae. While the exact color of "American flag blue" remains unknown, some sources have suggested that the color could be "Old Glory Blue" or some other similar color.^[21] Trump chose the color, contractor and other factors without typical reviews by federal agencies, opportunity for public comment, or congressional approval.^[22] Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which had previously performed work at the Trump National Golf Club, Virginia, was provided its first federal contract, a no-bid contract, to fix leaks from the joints in the Reflecting Pool and waterproof the pool's concrete bottom.^[23][24] On May 8, the Interior Department said they planned to pay $13.1 million for the project.^[25] The project also included a new water purification system to be installed by the company Greenwater Services, which is owned by John Cafaro, a neighbor of Trump's at Mar-a-Lago;^[26] the company secured a no-bid contract for the work.^[27][28] On May 11, nonprofit group The Cultural Landscape Foundation sued the Trump administration to prevent the project from continuing.^[29]

By June 5, the work had been completed and the Reflecting Pool had begun to be refilled with water.^[30] Algae reappeared in the pool within days of the project's completion and subsequent refilling of the pool.^[31] National Park Service workers have used hydrogen peroxide to help remove the algae in the Reflecting Pool, as well as the manual vacuuming of said algae.^[32] The blue resurfacing material used has also begun to peel off since the completion of the project.^[33][34] Donald Trump has claimed that the peeling material was due to vandalism, while multiple media outlets have noted there is no evidence for this claim.^[35][36]

The area of and around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 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.^[37]
• 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.^[4]
• On October 21, 1967, 100,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters met at the pool and memorial to begin the March on the Pentagon.^[38]
• In 2009, We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial was held, with a crowd of 400,000 people.^[6]
• In November 2010 the restoration project began.^[12]
• On August 31, 2012, the restoration project was completed and the pool was reopened.^[12]
• On August 28, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech was commemorated by an all-day event.^[39] The event featured various speakers including then President Barack Obama and John Lewis, the only living speaker from the original rally.^[40]
• 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.^[5]
• 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.^[41]

• The Reflecting Pool featured in the 1994 Academy Award winner for Best Motion Picture Forrest Gump.^[42]
• The Reflecting Pool featured in the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier.^[43]

• Capitol Reflecting Pool
• Rainbow Pool

• Lincoln Memorial Landscape and Reflecting Pool
• The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Is Being Overhauled by Trump’s Pool Contractor
• NBC Washington: Changes Planned for Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool

38°53′21″N 77°02′42″W / 38.8893°N 77.045°W / 38.8893; -77.045