Long and large rectangular pool located on the National Mall, directly east of the Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument to the east of the reflecting pool

How to Get There

Head southeast on Scott Cir NW toward Rhode Island Ave NW. Exit the traffic circle onto 16th St NW. Turn right onto M St NW. Turn left onto 21st St NW. 21st St NW turns right and becomes Constitution Ave. NW. Use the left 2 lanes to turn left onto Henry Bacon Dr NW. Henry Bacon Dr NW turns slightly right and becomes Lincoln Memorial Cir NW

Overview

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is the largest of the many reflecting pools in Washington, D.C. It is a long and large rectangular pool located on the National Mall, directly east of the Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument to the east of the reflecting pool. Part of the iconic image of Washington, the reflecting pool hosts many of the 24 million visitors a year who visit the National Mall. It is lined by walking paths and shade trees on both sides. Depending on the viewer's vantage point, it dramatically reflects the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall's trees, and/or the expansive sky.

Description

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was designed by Henry Bacon, and was constructed in 1922 and 1923, following the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. It is approximately 2,030 feet (620 m; 3/8 mi) long and 167 feet (51 m) wide. The perimeter of the pool is therefore 4,392 feet (1,339 meters; 13/16 mile) around. It has a depth of approximately 18 in (46 cm) on the sides and 30 in (76 cm) in the center. It holds approximately 6,750,000 U.S. gallons (25,600,000 liters) of water.

Events

On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom used the area for its Civil Rights rally. It was there that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered to a crowd of 250,000 people.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0