View source for Capitol Reflecting Pool

{{Short description|Reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., U.S.}}
{{inline|date=March 2015}}
[[File:USCapitol.jpg|thumb|300px|{{center|The Capitol Reflecting Pool and [[Ulysses S. Grant Memorial]]}}]]

The '''Capitol Reflecting Pool''' is a [[reflecting pool]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], United States. 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 [[United States Capitol dome|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, D.C., built above a tunnel of northbound [[Interstate 395 (Virginia–District of Columbia)#District of Columbia|Interstate 395]] lanes. Six acres in size, it occupies over half of the area known as [[Union Square (Washington, D.C.)|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 [[List of museums in Washington, D.C.|museums]] and galleries along the Mall.

==History==
[[File:Mallard and ducklings.JPG|thumb|160px|right|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 1970s to reduce vehicular traffic on the Mall and facilitate pedestrian and recreational use. (Other elements of the plan were the creation of the [[3rd Street Tunnel (District of Columbia)|Third Street Tunnel]] under the Mall and the relocation of [[George Gordon Meade Memorial|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 (Washington, D.C.)|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.

==See also==
* [[Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool]]
* [[Rainbow Pool]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Capitol Reflection Pool}}
{{Reflist}}
*[http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-grounds/capitol-reflecting-pool Architect of the Capitol webpage on the CRP]

{{United States Capitol Complex}}
{{Washington DC landmarks}}

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[[Category:Landmarks in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Buildings of the United States government in Washington, D.C.]]