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Reflecting Pool
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The Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool are shown with the monument and trees reflected in the still water, under a colorful sky in Washington, D.C. A National Park Service worker in waders uses a net to push algae in the green-tinted Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with trees and people visible in the background.
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The Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool are shown with the monument and trees reflected in the still water, under a colorful sky in Washington, D.C.
A stunning reflection The Washington Monument and a brilliant sky are mirrored in the Reflecting Pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

Reflecting Pool

pool, Washington D.C., United States
Also known as: Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Written by
John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...
John P. RaffertyAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

In 1920, as the Lincoln Memorial was being built, Popular Mechanics magazine gushed about a stunning feature of the monument to the 16th president, writing, in part: The “water mirror” would, of course, become the Reflecting Pool, which was the work of Lincoln Memorial architect Henry Bacon. Stretching some 2,000 feet (610 meters) from the steps of the memorial toward the Washington Monument at the center of the National Mall, the pool perfectly frames Lincoln’s...

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