The foundation also wrote that the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency that advises on design projects related to the capital, has been involved with past changes to the #ReflectingPool but did not review the new #Trump project.

Charles A. Birnbaum, who heads the foundation, noted that the neutral colors originally used for the pool’s basin were intended to convey greater #depth & #reflection, which is now threatened by Trump’s changes.

#law #landmark #preservation #UShistory

“A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park,” Birnbaum said in a statement.

…The foundation also cited #Trump’s other Washington construction projects, including his decision to tear down the White House’s #EastWing to build his #planned ballroom without first seeking authorization from #Congress or obtaining approval from federal review panels.

#law #landmark #preservation #UShistory #HandsOffOurProperty

“This latest desecration of the reflecting pool is part of a pattern … in which this Administration willfully disregards #legal limits established by #Congress,” the Cultural Landscape Foundation wrote in its filing.

#Trump last month unveiled his rapid project to resurface the #ReflectingPool, saying that a contractor convinced him to use “American Flag Blue” to cover the pool’s basin. Trump has said the project will be completed by July 4, in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

#law