President Trump orders reflecting pool to be painted ‘American flag blue’
President Trump has slammed the reflecting pool outside the Lincoln Memorial as a “disgusting place” and ordered it painted “American flag blue.”
A nonprofit group is suing the Trump administration, alleging that renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool violate federal law.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday, May 11, specifically targeting the application of blue paint to the reflecting pool. The pool is approximately 2,000 feet long and 160 feet wide and is located along the central axis of the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial on the west and the Washington Monument on the east.
This landmark and its surrounding landscape are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the National Mall Historic District.
What are nonprofits looking for?
The group is calling for a temporary suspension of the agency’s activities, effectively halting operations that began in mid-April. Both the Reflecting Pool and the National Mall are managed by the National Park Service.
A news release announcing the lawsuit states, “As a significant defining feature of this site on the National Register of Historic Places, changing the color of the reflecting pool should be subject to review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and other laws.”
The law requires government agencies to be consulted before making changes to historic properties.
“We are proud of the work the Park Service is doing to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed not only for its 250th year, but for generations to come,” the Interior Department said in an emailed statement.
What kind of renovation work is being carried out?
President Donald Trump unveiled plans to renovate the pool in April, saying it had received complaints about its uncleanliness and leaking water from its foundation. He said contractors will spend $1.5 million to sandblast the bottom, caulk and repave the surface to look like an industrial pool, according to a previous report by USA TODAY.
The project was awarded a $6.9 million no-bid contract to Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which was working on President Trump’s Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, according to the complaint. The revelation was first reported by the New York Times.
Most of the proposed projects involved painting the bottom “American flag blue” as part of President Trump’s city beautification plan ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The reflecting pool basin was previously painted neutral and gray.
The interior ministry said the dark color would make the pool more reflective than the existing gray concrete, which “accumulates algae and becomes slimy green.”
According to the police, before the bottom of the pool was made of concrete, it was made of black asphalt, and the water was dyed black to improve reflection. The agency says the pool leaks 16 million gallons of water a year.
The original colors have been a feature of the landmark since it opened in 1924, according to TCLF.
The colors created the illusion of greater depth and deeper reflections, said the nonprofit group, which cited the National Park Service’s Cultural Landscape Report published in August 1999. The original pond was constructed of asphalt-coated membrane, slate, and concrete tiles.
“The gray neutral basin is not a utilitarian feature of the reflecting pool, but rather an intentional design choice integral to the pool’s historic character and function,” the complaint states.
Work on the reflecting pool and other facilities at the Lincoln Memorial was previously subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which required federal agencies to evaluate the project’s effects on historic properties.
Charles A. Birnbaum, president and CEO of TCLF, said the bluish basin is “better suited for resorts and theme parks.” The company that did the work is a pool contractor, according to the complaint.
Trump and his motorcade made a surprise appearance on Thursday, May 7, as they rode horses through the now-empty pool.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Please contact mdelrey@usatoday.com.
