Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the largest reflecting pool in Washington, D.C. It sits on the National Mall, just east of the Lincoln Memorial and near the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument. The pool is a popular sight for the millions who visit the National Mall each year, and its calm surface reflects the monuments, the surrounding trees, and the sky when viewed from the paths along its sides.
Designed by Henry Bacon, the pool was built in 1922–1923 after the Lincoln Memorial was finished. It is about 2,030 feet long and 167 feet wide, with a shallow depth of about 18 inches at the edges and up to 30 inches in the center. It holds about 6.75 million gallons of water.
In 2009, the pool underwent a major renovation funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The water system was updated to circulate water from the nearby Tidal Basin, replacing the old city-supplied water, and new walking paths were added to reduce erosion. Construction began in November 2010 and finished in August 2012, at a cost of about $30.7 million. About 2,113 wooden piles were sunk to support the rebuilt pool.
After reopening, the pool needed cleaning for algae, and an ozone disinfectant system was installed to control future outbreaks. In 2013, work on the National World War II Memorial damaged the pool’s eastern end, which required repairs through 2016. In 2017 the pool was drained to address a swimmer’s itch parasite, which caused the deaths of more than 80 ducks and ducklings; refilling took about 10 days.
Located at the base of the Lincoln Memorial steps, the Reflecting Pool is part of many historic moments on the National Mall and remains a central feature of Washington’s iconic image.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:32 (CET).