This is a heads up to tourists heading to Washington, DC this summer (and fall and next spring!)
The iconic reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial has been drained for a $30 million dollar upgrade and will not be filled until summer 2012.
The pool needed to be drained and fixed VERY BADLY!
It had deteriorated over the last 90 years and was loosing a staggering 30 million gallons of water a year. In order to keep filling it up, the city had to take water from the city's supplies - a massive drain on an already stretched system. To counteract this, the new pool will be filled from tidal waters instead.
Last week workers began driving 2,133 wooden stakes into the ground at regular intervals of every 12ft 9in - at a rate of 100 a day - that will support the new pool from underneath when it is installed. Originally built in 1922 on swampy ground, crews have taken out the massive 618-by-51 meter pool to drive the sturdy wood pilings that will provide a better foundation.
Today, over 3.6 million people visit the memorial annually and in 2007, the Memorial was ranked seventh in the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
We love it there. The entire National Mall is such a wonderful place and so much fun to visit. Our favorite trips ever are to the Smithsonian Museums and walking along the beautiful sandy stretches of the Mall. It seems every time we’ve gone, we’ve been lucky to have gorgeous sunny days. Now, if they can only do something about the traffic and the horrific parking! Once, you’ve parked the damn car, you know you’re home free to enjoy a great, entertaining and informative experience in Washington, D.C.
News Article
The iconic reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial has been drained for a $30 million dollar upgrade and will not be filled until summer 2012.
The pool needed to be drained and fixed VERY BADLY!
It had deteriorated over the last 90 years and was loosing a staggering 30 million gallons of water a year. In order to keep filling it up, the city had to take water from the city's supplies - a massive drain on an already stretched system. To counteract this, the new pool will be filled from tidal waters instead.
Last week workers began driving 2,133 wooden stakes into the ground at regular intervals of every 12ft 9in - at a rate of 100 a day - that will support the new pool from underneath when it is installed. Originally built in 1922 on swampy ground, crews have taken out the massive 618-by-51 meter pool to drive the sturdy wood pilings that will provide a better foundation.
Today, over 3.6 million people visit the memorial annually and in 2007, the Memorial was ranked seventh in the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
We love it there. The entire National Mall is such a wonderful place and so much fun to visit. Our favorite trips ever are to the Smithsonian Museums and walking along the beautiful sandy stretches of the Mall. It seems every time we’ve gone, we’ve been lucky to have gorgeous sunny days. Now, if they can only do something about the traffic and the horrific parking! Once, you’ve parked the damn car, you know you’re home free to enjoy a great, entertaining and informative experience in Washington, D.C.
News Article
1 comment:
I wished I had seen this before today. It was a little disappointing being my first trip n my three kids trip too. But as long as it is for a good purpose.
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