The reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial is a tourist hot spot and has been the location for many important moments in history.

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Currently, the pool is a massive construction zone as it’s undergoing renovations.

It's a much-needed, $30 million facelift. The old pool was leaking like a sieve. “It was starting to fall apart, and we're going to build a new one,” said National Park Service spokesman Bill Line.

Crews start at 6 in the morning pounding pilings into the clay soil. The new pool will be the same size, but with pumps to circulate the normally stagnant water:

“You won't have the smell that you have in July and August, for example, and the water will look much better,” Line said.

A stone walkway will border the shallow pool, replacing the dusty dirt paths. Tourists and locals will have to wait to see the new version of the pool, though: The project will take another year to finish.