The Cultural Landscape Foundation and the nonprofit’s founder, Charles A. Birnbaum, have sued the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service for changing the appearance of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool without allegedly following “Congressional mandatory procedures.”
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, May 12, the plaintiffs allege that the ongoing work to paint the Reflecting Pool basin a “vivid blue” alters the landmark’s “historic character.”
“No consulting parties have been notified, engaged or given an opportunity to participate,” court documents allege. “Every day that the resurfacing continues, the historic character of the Reflecting Pool is being further and fundamentally altered.”
The plaintiffs are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief requiring the defendants to halt further resurfacing of the Reflecting Pool basin and to disclose and provide all plans and documentation relating to the undertaking.
“The reflecting pool is an iconic monument deeply connected to American history, not President Trump’s personal lap pool,” Alexander Kristofcak, counsel at Washington Litigation Group, said in a statement to Us about his clients’ suit. “Congress has put in place mandatory review procedures to prevent exactly this kind of unconsidered destruction of our historic spaces — procedures which the administration completely ignored.”
In a separate statement, Birnbaum explained why the original key design feature is important to protect.
“The government’s own Cultural Landscape Report of 1999 states that it was selected because it ‘created the illusion of greater depth and a more profound reflection,’ fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial,” Birnbaum explained. “A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.”
Us has reached out to the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior for comment.
President Donald Trump has previously described the Reflecting Pool paint job as “American Flag Blue” on Truth Social. He also expressed plans to have the pool’s renovations completed by the Fourth of July, when the U.S. will celebrate 250 years of independence.
In a video posted via Truth Social on April 23, Trump also explained his vision for the changes.
“We scrubbed the surface of the existing granite that’s been there since 1929. … We fixed it up. It took about two weeks, and now we have a nice clean service on which we’re putting an industrial-grade swimming pool topping,” he claimed. “I want American Flag Blue. It will last 40 or 50 years. It will look gorgeous, beautiful.”
