Editing Lincoln Memorial (section)

===Undercroft===
Below the memorial is an [[undercroft]]. During construction, [[graffiti]] was scrawled on it by workers,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Avery|first=Jim|date=July 19, 2017|title=5 World-Famous Landmarks That Have Totally Weirdo Secrets|url=https://www.cracked.com/article_24904_5-famous-buildings-with-bizarre-hidden-easter-eggs.html|access-date=June 30, 2021|website=Cracked}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Rivera and Weinstein|first=Gloria and Janet|date=September 2, 2016|title=Take a 'Historic Graffiti' Tour Under the Lincoln Memorial|work=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/historic-graffiti-tour-lincoln-memorial/story?id=41805221|access-date=June 30, 2021}}</ref> which is considered historical by the [[National Park Service]].<ref name=":0" /> During the 1970s and 1980s, there were regular tours of the undercroft.<ref>Hodge, Paul (October 27, 1977) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1977/10/27/whats-afoot-under-abe-lincolns-feet/f48997a6-1f6a-466d-b3fe-2b9ad2db4532/ "What's Afoot Under Abe Lincoln's Feet?"] ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref> The tours stopped abruptly in 1989 after a visitor noticed [[asbestos]] and notified the Service.<ref>Twoomey, Steve (April 9, 1990) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1990/04/09/monuments-losing-battle-with-erosion/1c59551e-bdc4-4c0c-9cf7-47e51c74da7c/ "Monuments Losing Battle with Erosion"] ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref> Due to water seeping through the calcium carbonate within the marble, over time [[stalactite]]s and [[stalagmite]]s have formed within it.<ref>[[United Press]] (August 28, 1957) [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19570828&id=znIzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zu4HAAAAIBAJ&pg=4867,7051275 "Lincoln Memorial has some stalactites"] ''[[Lodi News-Sentinel]]''</ref> 

[[File:Lincoln Memorial Temporary Ramp.jpg|thumb|A temporary ramp put in place during construction work in the undercroft, photographed in 2024]]
For the memorial's centennial in 2022, the undercroft is planned to be open to visitors following a rehabilitation project funded by [[David Rubenstein]].<ref>Staff (ndg) [https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=66405 "Lincoln Center Rehabilitation"] [[National Park Service]] website</ref><ref>Reid, Chip (November 23, 2016) [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lincoln-memorial-prepares-for-long-awaited-makeover-david-rubenstein/ "Lincoln Memorial to get long-awaited makeover, underground visitor's center"] [[CBS News]]</ref> Work started on the $69 million project in 2023 with expected completion by 2026.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last1=Kuta |first1=Sarah |title=The Lincoln Memorial Is Getting a New Underground Museum |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lincoln-memorial-new-underground-museum-2026-180981736/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

Through the renovation, the undercroft will become a visitor area with a museum, theater, store and exhibit section. It is expected to only take up 15,000 square feet of the 50,000 square-foot undercroft. The plan, as of 2024, is for the space to include six floor-to-ceiling glass walls that will provide views of the cathedral-like interior of the undercroft, and an immersive theater presentation that will project images of historic events onto screens and the undercroft’s pillars.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruane |first=Michael E. |date=11 December 2024 |title=Beneath the Lincoln Memorial, a vast space is being transformed |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/12/11/lincoln-memorial-undercroft-national-park-service-visitor-area-musem/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211140118/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/12/11/lincoln-memorial-undercroft-national-park-service-visitor-area-musem/ |archive-date=11 December 2024 |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>