Trump Administration Accelerates Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Renovation

The Interior Department and National Park Service are renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, with the total cost of the project nearing $15 million according to federal contract records. Contracts to resurface the pool and replace its filtration system were awarded without competitive bidding after the Department of the Interior cited “unusual and compelling urgency” tied to the country’s impending 250th anniversary celebrations.

” The agency awarded $74 million to an Ohio firm to replace the existing filtration system and $2 million to Atlantic Industrial Coatings last week for the protective coating work. President Trump has taken a personal interest in the project. His motorcade was driven over the drained and repainted pool last week for a firsthand review.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation filed a lawsuit Monday against the Interior Department and the National Park Service. The Washington-based nonprofit is asking a judge to stop the ongoing work and restore historic elements. Charles A. Birnbaum, president and CEO of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, said the design intent “to create a reflective surface that is subordinate” remains fundamental to the site.

The group has argued that a blue-tinted basin deviates from that intent.

Federal records show the resurfacing and filtration contracts were issued under the urgency justification. Work visible in recent weeks included application of a blue protective coating on May 8, 2026. Tourists viewed the pool area on May 11 while crews continued the coating process.

The administration has described the overall renovation estimate as $15 million, compared with prior planning figures that reached $300 million.