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WASHINGTON — <\/span>A Washington-based nonprofit is asking a judge to force the Trump administration to stop work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and restore historic elements at one of the most iconic spots on the National Mall.<\/p>\n In a lawsuit filed Monday, The Cultural Landscape Foundation said the administration’s moves to repaint the bottom of the Reflecting Pool<\/a> blue without undergoing relevant reviews ran afoul to federal preservation laws governing historic sites. The group argued that the changes at the Reflecting Pool are part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to push through dramatic renovations in Washington<\/a> without proper reviews and undermine the tone of the area.<\/p>\n “The design intent, to create a reflective surface that is subordinate, is fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial,\u201d said Charles A. Birnbaum, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement. \u201cA blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.\u201d <\/p>\n Trump has taken a personal interest in the project, calling the area \u201cfilthy\u201d before workers repainted the Reflecting Pool a color he has called \u201cAmerican flag blue.\u201d His motorcade was driven<\/a> over a drained and repainted Reflecting Pool last week to give him a chance for a firsthand review of the project.<\/p>\n Speaking at a Rose Garden event Monday evening, Trump said the pool would be reopened \u201csometime next week, week after.\u201d He did not mention the lawsuit in his remarks but said the end result would be beautiful and rebuffed criticism that it was just a new paint job. \u201cThis is not paint,” he said. “This is highly sophisticated stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n The suit was filed against the Interior Department and the National Park Service, which oversee much of the renovations underway in Washington. Katie Martin, an Interior Department spokeswoman, said in a statement that Trump \u201chas done more to make our nation\u2019s capital a shining beacon than any other president in the history of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Over the past year, Trump has bulldozed the East Wing<\/a> to make way for a ballroom. His name was added to the facades of the U.S. Institute of Peace<\/a> and the Kennedy Center<\/a>, which he plans to close for a two-year renovation<\/a>. His face adorns a banner at the Department of Justice\u2019s<\/a> headquarters, among others. He is pushing for a triumphal arch<\/a> near Arlington Cemetery and has closed parks, including Lafayette Square across from the White House, for a rehab. <\/p>\n Many of those projects are also subject to litigation. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n