The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is one of the most iconic landscapes in America. It has been the backdrop for civil rights marches, presidential inaugurations, and countless moments of national mourning and celebration. Its design intent, according to landscape architects, is to create a reflective surface that is subordinate to the monuments around it.
Now, the Trump administration wants to paint it blue. And a nonprofit is suing to stop it.
A nonprofit is suing the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the decision to resurface the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at Washington, D.C.’s National Mall and to paint the pool’s basin blue. The suit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by The Cultural Landscape Foundation, an education and advocacy organization. In the suit, TCLF is asking a federal judge to halt the project, saying that the Trump administration failed to have the project reviewed federally, as is dictated by the National Historic Preservation Act.
President Trump revealed his plans for the pool do-over last month, specifying “American flag blue.” He said the project would take one week and $2 million, and that it would be completed in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.
A few days later on Truth Social, the president posted a fake image of himself and several of his administration officials in swimsuits, along with an unidentified woman in a gingham bikini, lounging in the water with the Washington National Monument at the rear. Swimming in the reflecting pool is prohibited by federal law.
The President’s Pitch
In a YouTube video posted by the White House on April 23, Trump called the pool “filthy dirty” and said it “leaked like a sieve.” In that video, Trump said he was going to call three companies that he has worked with in the past — “all they do is swimming pools” — and say, “Give me a good price.”
The New York Times reported last Friday that the contract for the reflecting pool’s resurfacing was awarded in a $6.9 million no-bid contract to a company called Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which has never held any federal contracts. An employee at the company confirmed in a telephone call on Monday that it has been contracted for this project, but referred all other questions to the Department of the Interior. The Times reported on Monday that the final cost of the project could be upward of $13 million, per documents it says it has obtained.
The Department of the Interior did not confirm the cost of the project, but wrote: “The contract price reflects the effort necessary to expedite the timeline of completing the leak prevention coating project—more people, more materials, more equipment, and longer hours ahead of our 250th.”
The Administration’s Defense
In an unsigned statement emailed to NPR Monday afternoon, the Interior Department wrote: “The National Park Service chose the best company to expedite the repair of the iconic Reflecting Pool ahead of our 250th celebrations. The choice of American Flag Blue will enhance the visitor experience by making the pool reflect the grand Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. NPS is also investing in a state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system and will now have a dedicated crew who will maintain the grounds from wildlife. The Department is proud of the work being carried out by our Park Service to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed not only for our 250th, but for many generations to come.”
The administration is framing the project as an upgrade. A blue basin, better filtration, faster completion. The critics see something else entirely.
The Case Against Blue
Critics of the project, including TCLF, do not share that vision — and are taking particular umbrage at the color.
“The reflecting pool should not be viewed in isolation; it is part of the larger ensemble of designed landscapes that comprise the National Mall,” Charles A. Birnbaum, the president and CEO of TCLF, said in a statement. “The design intent, to create a reflective surface that is subordinate, is fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.”
That is not a minor aesthetic quibble. It is a fundamental disagreement about the meaning of the space. The reflecting pool is not a swimming pool. It is not a theme park attraction. It is a memorial landscape. Changing its color, critics argue, changes its character.
The National Park Service regularly cleans out algae, goose droppings, and other detritus from the reflecting pool. The last major renovation of the reflecting pool, which included the installation of a new circulation and filtration system, took place during the Obama administration at a reported cost of $34 million. No one disputes that maintenance is needed. The dispute is over the method and the color.
Before founding TCLF in 2008, Birnbaum served for 15 years as the coordinator of the Historic Landscape Initiative for the National Park Service. He knows the agency. He knows the rules. And he is arguing that the Trump administration is breaking them by failing to have the project reviewed under the National Historic Preservation Act.
A Pattern of Lawsuits
TCLF has another open lawsuit against the federal administration. It is one of eight cultural and architectural groups currently suing President Trump and the Kennedy Center board over planned renovations of the complex, which are scheduled to start in July. The group is not afraid to take on the government. And it is now asking a federal judge to halt the reflecting pool project before the paint dries.
The lawsuit will test whether the administration can fast-track a project on the National Mall without the legally required reviews. It will also test whether “American flag blue” is an appropriate color for a memorial landscape. The administration says it is an enhancement. The critics say it is a desecration.
The Bottom Line
The Cultural Landscape Foundation has sued the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over plans to resurface the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and paint its basin blue. The suit, filed Monday in federal court, argues that the Trump administration failed to have the project reviewed under the National Historic Preservation Act.
President Trump announced the project last month, saying it would take one week and cost $2 million, and that it would be completed by July 4. The New York Times reported that the contract was awarded as a $6.9 million no-bid deal to a company with no prior federal contracts, and that the final cost could exceed $13 million.
The Interior Department defended the project, saying “American Flag Blue” will enhance the visitor experience. The Cultural Landscape Foundation called the color more appropriate for a “resort or theme park.” The lawsuit asks a federal judge to halt the project. The administration is moving forward. The reflecting pool’s fate is now in the hands of the court.
