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TheCapitol Reflecting Pool is areflecting pool inWashington, D.C., United States. It lies to the west of theUnited States Capitol and is the westernmost element of the Capitol grounds (or the easternmost element of theNational Mall, according to some reckonings). TheCapitol Dome and theUlysses S. Grant Memorial are reflected in its waters.
The Capitol Reflecting Pool is located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built above a tunnel of northboundInterstate 395 lanes. Six acres in size, it occupies over half of the area known asUnion Square. It is set into a plaza that includes, on the east, theUlysses 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, theU.S. Botanic Garden, and themuseums and galleries along the Mall.
The Capitol Reflecting Pool was included in master plans for the Washington Mall area prepared by the architectural firm ofSkidmore, Owings, and Merrill in the 1960s and 1970s to reduce vehicular traffic on the Mall and facilitate pedestrian and recreational use. (Other elements of the plan were the creation of theThird Street Tunnel under the Mall and the relocation ofa memorial to Civil War General George G. Meade from the northwest section of Union Square; that memorial now stands near the intersection ofConstitution Avenue andPennsylvania Avenue, NW). The new pool was designed to serve as a counterpart to the one at the western end of the Mall, between theLincoln Memorial and theWashington 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.
38°53′23″N77°00′49″W / 38.8898°N 77.0137°W /38.8898; -77.0137
