WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Cultural Landscape Foundation filed a lawsuit on Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., against the Trump administration to block the repainting of the National Mall reflecting pool to a color described as "American Flag Blue." The suit asks a judge to immediately halt the resurfacing work, which is being directed and overseen by President Donald Trump, and to restore the pool to its original color until Congressionally mandated procedures are followed.

The complaint names the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service as defendants. It alleges the administration ignored Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires agencies to consult with experts and nonprofit organizations before making changes to historic properties. "No consulting parties have been notified, engaged, or given an opportunity to participate," the suit says.

Attorneys from the Washington Litigation Group filed the 26-page complaint, which states that the color choice is the central issue in the work on the 104-year-old pool. "This latest desecration of the reflecting pool is part of a pattern — epitomized most notably by the rush to destroy the East Wing of the White House — in which this Administration willfully disregards legal limits established by Congress," the complaint says. It continues: "Every day that the resurfacing continues, the historic character of the Reflecting Pool is being further and fundamentally altered."

The suit cites a 1999 National Park Service Cultural Landscape Report for the Lincoln Memorial Grounds, which identifies the dark-tiled basin as a character-defining feature. The complaint states that "The new coloration will cause the pool to resemble a large swimming pool rather than the reflective civic landscape it was designed to be, distorting the experience of the site for the millions of visitors who come to it each year."

Charles Birnbaum, president and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation and a former coordinator for the National Park Service's Historic Landscape Initiative from 1992 to 2007, said in a statement that the "blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park." Birnbaum added: "The Reflecting Pool should not be viewed in isolation; it is part of the larger ensemble of designed landscapes that comprise the National Mall. 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."

A Department of the Interior spokesperson said the new color "will enhance the visitor experience by making the pool reflect the grand Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument." The spokesperson said the National Park Service "is also investing in a state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system and will now have a dedicated crew who will maintain the grounds from wildlife," and that the work will "ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th national birthday celebration but for many generations to come."

Trump chose the new color himself and has said he expects the resurfacing to be completed within two weeks. In late April, he told reporters his administration planned to resurface the stone bottom of the pool in an "American flag blue," using the "latest and greatest filament." Crews have been applying the new material to the surface of the drained pool in recent weeks. Trump visited the site last week, driving into the reflecting pool with his motorcade to inspect the work.

"The color was never good, because basically it had a gray stone underneath, whether it was the concrete or the granite, it was a gray stone. And now we actually picked the color, it was called American Flag Blue, and so you can't do better than that," Trump said during the visit. "You're going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool, the way it's supposed to be," he added.

Trump said the pool, which had been comprehensively renovated in 2012, was in "terrible" condition. He said the project would cost taxpayers about $2 million, though the contracting firm hired for the work, awarded without a bidding process, will be paid more than $13 million.