Capitol Reflecting Pool

The Capitol Reflecting Pool

The Capitol Reflecting Pool is a reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., USA. It lies to the west of the United States Capitol and is the westernmost element of the Capitol grounds (or the easternmost element of the National Mall, according to some reckonings). The Capitol Dome and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial are reflected in its waters.

Description

The Capitol Reflecting Pool is located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, DC. Six acres in size, it occupies over half of the area known as Union Square. It is set into a plaza that includes, on the east, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial; to its west is a tree-dotted grassy area that extends to Third Streets, NW and SW. Nearby tourist destinations include the Capitol, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and the museums and galleries along the Mall.

History

A mallard with ducklings at the Capitol Reflecting Pool.

The Capitol Reflecting Pool was included in master plans for the Washington Mall area prepared by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in the 1960s and '70s to reduce vehicular traffic on the Mall and facilitate pedestrian and recreational use. (Other elements of the plan were the creation of the Third Street tunnel under the Mall and the relocation of a memorial to Civil War General George G. Meade from the northwest section of Union Square; that memorial now stands near the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.) The new pool was designed to serve as a counterpart to the one at the western end of the Mall, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Since its completion in 1971, it has been a popular attraction. The broad, gently sloped limestone coping and the steps that lead down from ground level afford seating for visitors as they enjoy the reflections of the Capitol, the surrounding sights, and the sky as well as the ducks and seagulls that often swim in the pool.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Capitol Reflection Pool.

External links

Architect of the Capitol webpage on the CRP

United States Capitol Complex

United States Capitol

House	Cannon House Library Ford Longworth Rayburn O'Neill (demolished in 2002)

Senate	Senate chamber Old Senate Chamber Dirksen Hart Russell Senate Library

Library of Congress	Adams Jefferson Madison Law Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theater

Individual features	Revolutionary War Door Rotunda Declaration of Independence painting The Apotheosis of Washington Frieze of American History Dome Statue of Freedom National Statuary Hall Crypt Hall of Columns Brumidi Corridors

Others	Botanic Garden Grant Memorial Judiciary Building Power Plant Reflecting Pool Subway System Supreme Court Old Supreme Court Chamber Old Senate Chamber Union Square Visitor Center Senate Page Residence Pennsylvania Avenue

Landmarks of Washington, D.C.

Memorials	Adams African American Civil War Air Force Boy Scout James Buchanan Signers of the Declaration of Independence D.C. War Albert Einstein Emancipation John Ericsson The Extra Mile First Division James A. Garfield Ulysses S. Grant Holocaust Museum Holodomor Genocide Memorial Jefferson Memorial John Paul Jones Korean War Veterans Law Enforcement Officers Lincoln Memorial Lyndon Baines Johnson Grove Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II Martin Luther King, Jr. George Mason George Meade Navy Navy - Merchant Marine Peace Monument Pentagon Second Division Robert A. Taft The Three Soldiers Franklin Delano Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Island Taras Shevchenko Oscar Straus Titanic Veterans Disabled for Life Victims of Communism Vietnam Veterans Vietnam Women's Washington Monument Daniel Webster World War II

Planned	Adams Memorial Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial General Francis Marion Memorial Gold Star Mothers Monument National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial National Liberty Memorial Peace Corps Monument World War I

Former	Rainbow Pool

Other	U.S. Capitol Capitol Reflecting Pool Constitution Gardens Healy Hall Immaculate Conception Basilica Islamic Center Jefferson Pier Kennedy Center Library of Congress Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Lincoln's Cottage at Soldiers' Home National Archives National Cathedral Smithsonian Institution Supreme Court Building White House Zero Milestone

Public art in Washington, D.C. (Outdoor sculpture, American Revolution Statuary, Civil War Monuments, commemorating African-Americans)

Coordinates: 38°53′23″N 77°00′49″W / 38.8898°N 77.0137°W / 38.8898; -77.0137

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, October 18, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.