Restoration & Sustainability

A partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Trust for the National Mall, and the National Park Service, alongside civic partner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab is an urgent call to action to address the pressing need for critical repairs and improvements, including a crumbling sea wall and daily flooding, taking into consideration environment, culture and visitor experience. The project marks a critical juncture for the landscape of the nation’s capital, envisioning and reshaping a deeply symbolic and beloved public space that communicates the history, values, and aspirations of the country.

The U.S. Park Police Horse Mounted Unit is one of the oldest police equestrian units in the United States. The Trust for the National Mall led this milestone project to create a new Education Center to welcome the public and a state-of-the-art sustainable home for the horses and officers of the Mounted Unit on the National Mall.

Designed pro bono by Wolfgang Oehme  in 1983, this small garden (350 x 60 feet) occupies a prominent place on the National Mall.

The Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater have been re-imagined as part of the Trust’s national juried competition to create an elegant gateway to the Monument and creates a transformed setting for our nation's most visible center stage.

Following the grand reopening of the restored and relocated Lockkeeper’s House in fall of 2018, Phase 2 will address the rehabilitation of the lake and Signers Island at Constitution Gardens and the interior exhibits at the Lockkeeper’s House. Once fully restored, this under-utilized 36 acres of space will become a vibrant urban park with concessions and visitor amenities and will be a showcase for environmental sustainability.

As the broader repairs to the roof structure and cleaning continue, the Trust will be an advisor to the redesign of the undercroft exhibit space, bringing experts and historians together to support the National Park Service in the development of the interpretive content for the exhibits.

The oldest structure on the National Mall and untouched for more than 40 years, the Lockkeeper’s House was moved away from the busy corner at 17th and Constitution and fully restored. Completed in 2018 the house is now open to the public and is the gatekeeper to the National Mall, providing educational content to visitors for the first time about the history of the National Mall, the history purpose of the house and the surrounding landscapes.

The rehabilitation of the George Mason Memorial is complete and provides an urban oasis that more accurately reflects the historical period in which Mason lived as well as the memorial’s original design. The memorial includes a new central fountain, perennial plantings throughout the site and a refurbished George Mason statue, trellis and inscription.

The revitalization of the turf provides a green, beautiful expanse of land for the thousand plus events that occur there.

32-months of repairs were conducted and the monument was officially reopened on May 12, 2014 after its complete restoration.

As the oldest free-standing, man-made stone structure standing outdoors in D.C., the lantern takes its place among the many natural and cultural treasures on the National Mall.

In partnership with the National Park Service, the Trust for the National Mall sponsored a new wayfinding signage program for the National Mall in Washington, D.C to better orient the 36 million visitors the park welcomes each year.

In partnership with the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, and the generous support of Osram Sylvania and Pepco, the Trust for the National Mall has restore and upgraded the 174 historic bronze street lamps designed by Frederick Law Olmsted that line the Mall.

In 2012, the Reflecting Pool was completely rebuilt with sustainable water conservation features.

The District of Columbia War Memorial, which was constructed in 1931 to honor those District residents who served and died in World War I, was restored to its place of importance on the National Mall while continuing its historic use as a venue for concerts and other special events.

The Trust helped leverage more than $150 million in federal dollars for restoration projects on the National Mall, including repairing the sinking plaza in front of the Jefferson Memorial.

In order to maintain the new memorial, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall have partnered to start a fund for long term maintenance and support, managed by the Trust. Supporters of the memorial are encouraged to make contributions to help preserve this important addition to the National Mall perimeter.