The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) recently filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior, claiming that the current application of blue paint to the basin of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall violates federal law. TCLF is seeking a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction to stop the work. The Reflecting Pool and the National Mall are managed by the National Park Service (NPS), which is part of the Department of the Interior. Changing the Reflecting Pool’s color, a key character-defining feature of the site, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, should be subject to reviews pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and other laws.
The achromatic/grey of the Reflecting Pool’s basin has been a signature feature since the site opened in 1924. According to an NPS Cultural Landscape Report about the Reflecting Pool in August 1999 (p. 33), the basin consisted“of an asphalt coated membrane, slate, and concrete tile. The dark color of the tile created the illusion of greater depth and a more profound reflection.”Work on the Reflecting Pool and other aspects of the Lincoln Memorial and its grounds have been subject to Section 106 reviews previously, as well as reviews by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA).
“The Reflecting Pool should not be viewed in isolation; it is part of the larger ensemble of designed landscapes that comprise the National Mall. 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.”
Charles A. Birnbaum, TCLF’s President and CEO.
For more information, go to https://www.tclf.org/cultural-landscape-foundation-sues-department-interior-over-painting-reflecting-pool-national-mall