CaseStudy:Rehabilitation of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is an icon of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The iconic but badly deteriorated Reflecting Pool and environs located immediately east of the Lincoln Memorial will be rehabilitated and upgraded through a major American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded project. A Programmatic Agreement governing the historic preservation aspects of the project was executed on March 18, 2010. The Section 106 review was coordinated with National Environmental Policy Act compliance.

Details
Deterioration of the pool and its setting had accelerated in recent years due to structural problems and heavy use. This much-needed repair of the reflecting pool and vicinity will correct water quality problems and leakage of domestic fill water, solve the problem of chronically worn turf alongside the pool, provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for handicap-accessibility, reduce the proliferation of security bollards, and install permanent lighting along the elm walks. The $30.5 million project will use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to achieve major sustainability, accessibility, and security improvements and repair to a failing historic resource of national significance. Construction will require closure of some areas, and a formal large-scale event is likely when the work is done. The site has national significance, having served as the backdrop for many historic events, including Marian Anderson’s concert in 1939, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, the memorial service for President John F. Kennedy in 1963, and the Anti-Vietnam War rally in 1967. The monuments, memorials, landscape features, and vistas within the project area constitute some of the most iconic and recognizable images commemorating presidential legacies and military veterans in the country, resulting in millions of annual visitors. The pool and its features were part of a formal landscape envisioned in the 1902 McMillan Plan for the city, which foresaw a highly symbolic use for the project area. It is part of one of the most important axes in the nation, aligning with the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.

The property is part of the East and West Potomac Parks Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Lincoln Memorial Grounds is also a Cultural Landscape and is managed as a historic resource.

Initially, the National Park Service (NPS) proposed a no adverse effect determination in the Environmental Assessment. Further consultation led the NPS to determine that the design of new security barriers, replacement of turf shoulders of the pool with ADA-compliant paving, new outdoor furniture, lighting and paving of the elm walks, and above-ground infrastructure to support a new sustainable water supply system constituted an adverse effect to significant characteristics of this historic site.

The proposed undertaking largely mitigates adverse effects through a design that offers significant improvements: a new filtration system that will vastly reduce the unsustainable reliance on domestic DC water; new security features that blend into the landscape and allow removal of many non-contributing security bollards; and, a better-integrated range of materials including paving, lighting, and increased accessibility. Mitigation of adverse effects will also include interpretative and educational materials addressing the historical development of the Reflecting Pool Area and its associated themes. Additionally, gaps in the historically significant rows of American elms around Lincoln Memorial Circle will be replanted.

During the consultation process some parties sought a system that might have a less intensive infrastructure for water supply and filtration. Additional concerns included the significant change from grass to pavement alongside the pool and suggestions for additional uses for the facility, such as fountains or ice skating, which have some historic basis.

The Programmatic Agreement (PA) was unusual in allowing for post-agreement reviews of the proposal by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), giving signatories the opportunity to assess whether any requested changes will add to the adverse effects already acknowledged in the PA. This allowed the NPS to comply with tight ARRA funding timetables, while offering a post-agreement means for consulting parties to weigh in after completion of the lengthier review processes applicable to federal projects within the National Capital Region.

The ACHP entered consultations on the project on July 27, 2009. Among other consulting parties were the NCPC, DC Historic Preservation Office, CFA, Committee of 100 on the Federal City, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Coalition to Save Our Mall.