May 11 (UPI) — A nonprofit organization filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday over renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
The lawsuit, filed by the Cultural Landscape Foundation and founder Charles Birnbaum, argues that the National Mall renovation violates environmental and preservation laws without proper authority by changing the “historic character” of the reflecting pool.
“The dark grey, achromatic basin was not incidental to the design,” the lawsuit reads. “It was the design.”
The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to block the renovation from moving forward.
The National Historic Preservation Act, the main law cited in the lawsuit, requires a review process before changing historic properties like the reflecting pool.
The Trump administration plans to add a coat of “American flag blue” paint to the base of the reflecting pool.
“The [Interior] Department is proud of the work being carried out by our Park Service to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th, but for many generations to come,” the Interior Department said in a statement.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation called the project and other renovations led by President Donald Trump, such as the demolition of the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom, a “desecration.”
“A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park,” Birnbaum said in a statement.
Trump announced the project last month with an estimate for it to be completed by July 4.
