The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was supposed to be newly restored, freshly lined and ready to serve as one of Washington's most recognizable landmarks.
Instead, months after a $14.7 million renovation, the pool is empty again.
It is fenced off.
Heavy equipment is back.
And the National Park Service now says the Reflecting Pool and surrounding walkways will remain closed through at least October 20.
But perhaps the most remarkable development is what happened to the Trump administration's explanation for the damage.
President Donald Trump blamed vandals.
The contractor that performed the renovation reportedly blamed problems with the renovation itself.
A $14.7 MILLION RENOVATION
Work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool began in April.
The project was intended to clean the pool, repair its joints and install a new lining designed to protect the structure and reduce future maintenance.
The National Park Service originally expected the work to be completed by June 10.
The renovation was accelerated ahead of the nation's July Fourth celebrations.
Workers installed a new blue liner across the bottom of the enormous pool.
For a brief period, the project appeared complete.
Then the problems started.
THE LINER BEGAN FAILING
Within weeks, portions of the newly installed liner began blistering and peeling away from the concrete.
The pool was drained again.
Large sections of the newly renovated landmark were closed to visitors.
The Trump administration initially pointed toward vandalism as an explanation for some of the damage.
One man, former Olympic kayaker David Hearn, was even federally charged in connection with alleged damage at the Reflecting Pool.
But that case eventually collapsed.
Federal prosecutors dropped the charge.
And evidence about the renovation itself began telling a very different story.
THE CONTRACTOR'S OWN EXPLANATION
According to documents reported by The New York Times and Reuters, Atlantic Industrial Coatings — the contractor responsible for the liner work — acknowledged problems with the renovation.
Those problems reportedly included insufficient primer application and chemically incompatible layers of material.
Instead of bonding properly to the surface underneath, portions of the liner blistered and separated.
In other words, the widespread failure wasn't simply the work of someone attacking a national monument.
There were significant problems with the work itself.
That distinction matters.
Vandalism means someone intentionally damaged a successful renovation.
Defective construction means taxpayers paid millions of dollars for work that failed.
The Interior Department has continued to maintain that vandalism occurred, and the contractor has been required to perform repairs.
But the contractor's own account undercut the claim that vandalism explained the broader failure of the liner.
THE VANDALISM CASE DISAPPEARS
The government's prosecution also became difficult to sustain.
Federal authorities had accused Hearn of damaging the Reflecting Pool.
But prosecutors ultimately dropped the charge.
The Justice Department acknowledged that evidence indicated defective renovation work was responsible for the damage at issue in the case.
That left the administration in an uncomfortable position.
A highly publicized allegation of vandalism had turned into a story about construction problems.
And the newly renovated Reflecting Pool was once again empty.
THE CLOSURE KEEPS GETTING LONGER
The original renovation closure began April 10 and was expected to end June 10.
It didn't.
After additional problems emerged, the National Park Service established another closure.
That closure was extended through August.
Then September.
Now October.
On September 11, the National Park Service announced another extension.
The Reflecting Pool itself, the adjacent walkways and portions of the surrounding grass will remain closed through October 20.
And there is now another problem.
According to the National Park Service, crews must repair blocked infrastructure associated with the pool's circulation system.
The agency says the pool must remain empty while that work is performed.
Heavy machinery is still operating in the area.
The Lincoln Memorial remains accessible, as do nearby memorials including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial and Korean War Veterans Memorial.
But one of the most famous views in Washington remains a construction zone.
THE REFLECTING POOL WITHOUT THE REFLECTION
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is more than a decorative pond.
It creates one of America's most recognizable views.
From the Lincoln Memorial, visitors normally look across the water toward the Washington Monument.
The water reflects the monument and Washington skyline.
It has also been the backdrop for some of the most consequential public gatherings in American history.
Today that historic pool is empty.
The irony is difficult to miss.
A project intended to beautify one of Washington's most famous landmarks has instead left it drained and fenced off for months.
The government paid $14.7 million for the renovation.
The new liner failed.
The pool was drained again.
The contractor acknowledged problems with its work.
A vandalism prosecution was dropped.
Additional infrastructure problems were discovered.
And the reopening date has repeatedly moved farther into the future.
WHO PAYS FOR THE MISTAKES?
Atlantic Industrial Coatings is performing repair work, so the existence of a $14.7 million original contract does not necessarily mean taxpayers will pay another $14.7 million to correct the liner.
But taxpayers have already paid for a renovation that was supposed to solve problems at the Reflecting Pool.
Instead, the landmark has spent much of the year behind fencing.
That makes accountability important.
What went wrong with the installation?
Why were incompatible materials reportedly used?
Why wasn't the failure discovered before the pool was reopened?
How much will the additional work ultimately cost?
And why did the administration emphasize vandalism before the extent of the construction problems became clear?
Those questions deserve answers.
THE POOL REMAINS EMPTY
For now, there is one indisputable image that summarizes the entire episode.
The Lincoln Memorial stands at one end.
The Washington Monument stands at the other.
Between them sits the Reflecting Pool.
Except there is nothing to reflect.
As of late September, the pool remains empty.
The National Park Service says repairs are continuing and currently expects the closure to remain in place through October 20.
Maybe this time the date will hold.
But after a $14.7 million renovation, a failed liner, dropped vandalism charges and months of additional repairs, the Reflecting Pool has become an unexpectedly visible example of what can happen when a highly publicized government renovation goes wrong.