Jefferson Memorial The Jefferson Memorial is a monument in the Capital Wasteland in 2277 . The location forms a central part in the game ' s storyline , with several main and side quests taking part here . It has five interior sections that can be accessed . Background . The Jefferson Memorial was a memorial in Washington , D . C . dedicated to the eighteenth century politician . Jefferson was the principal author of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States . This 20th century monument was built on the bank of the Tidal Basin of the River Potomac , and it was a major tourist site , perhaps second only to the Washington Monument . Unlike many other monuments in the city which were severely damaged or destroyed in the Great War of 2077 , the Jefferson Memorial survived relatively intact into the twenty - third century . In the 2250s , the memorial was selected by project lead James for Project Purity , primarily due to its location . The project ' s stated aim was for converting the memorial into a water purifier where the river ' s water could be cleansed of radiation for use by residents of the Capital Wasteland . Project Purity was abandoned after James ' wife Catherine died giving birth to their child , and then picked up again 20 years later . The statue of Thomas Jefferson can be seen in pristine condition submerged within the Project Purity facility as it is activated . In the add - on " Broken Steel " , the purifier is operational . Brotherhood of Steel Knights and Scribe s work inside and patrol the outside of the memorial under the direction of Bigsley , overseeing the ongoing operation of Project Purity and organizing distribution of the Aqua Pura it generates . Additional Knights patrol the catwalks and shore for dying mirelurk s , which apparently are being poisoned by the clean water . This may be due to the fact that mirelurks evolved after much of the Wasteland ' s water was irradiated , and can thus only survive in radioactive water . The water caravans that depart from the Jefferson Memorial take a C - Route from the memorial , west to Smith Casey ' s Garage , northeast to Paradise Falls and then continues to the Republic of Dave where it turns around back on its route . By 2297 , the Jefferson purifier was declared off - limits for public viewing by the security team , claiming they were working to prevent possible sabotage . Layout . Exterior . The exterior of the Jefferson Memorial has a variety of platforms as well as a few super mutant patrols . The entrance to the memorial is through the gift shop doors on either side of the platforms . Interior . Upon entering the memorial from the gift shop side entrance one enters into a long hallway . At the other end of this hallway is a rubble filled room with a sewer grate hatch that is accessible and is a main part during The Waters of Life quest . Taking a right down the hall leads to some sort of lobby that has the gift shop and a turret emplaced on the roof , Bigsley ' s office during " Broken Steel " , to the left and ruined bathrooms to the right . Once past the second double doors you enter an area of ruined corridors and entrances to the rotunda and the memorial sub - basement . Before The Waters of Life quest these areas are filled with level dependent super mutant s , including super mutant overlord s at higher levels . This area includes many random junk items , and one Nuka - Cola vending machine . Rotunda . The rotunda is home to the Project Purity purifier , the purifier itself is built around the statue of Thomas Jefferson . The rotunda floor is covered in water and can not be swam through . The purifier has two levels of catwalks that hang over the pool of water that was the rotunda floor . The first level catwalk encircles the purifier with a dead end at one end and a staircase leading to the second level on the other . The second level is an enclosed catwalk of steel and glass window walls . The activation panel is located here along with the Auxiliary Filtration Input system panel for which the modified FEV can be injected into . Two leveled super mutant s will spawn here , one on the first level catwalk and the other on the second levels . Memorial sub - basement . Going down the stairs one enters into a room filled with ruined desks and shelves , plus a gore bag left by the super mutants . In the middle of this room is a fence surrounded opening that looks down onto the flood pools on the below level . To the left of this opening is the mainframe , which can only be accessed during and after the quest , the Waters of Life . To the right is a hall leading to a room on the left and the stairwell to the below level . The room on the left of this hall is a small clinic with an examination table and medical and surgical tools on a tray . This is the room in which the Lone Wanderer was born . Down the stairs one enters into what used to be the living quarters for the Project Purity science team filled with bunkbeds , footlockers , and filing cabinets . Past this room one reaches a four way intersection of hallways . Taking a right leads to the flood pools . Taking a left leads you to the flood control switch and James ' former sleeping quarters . Going straight forward leads to a turn and a room on the right at the end of the hallway . This room leads to another room where the auxiliary power fuse box is located . This room and the flood pools area are connected here by a small hallway . This area is filled with level dependent super mutants . If the " Broken Steel " add - on is installed , when one returns to the Jefferson Memorial after completing Take it Back ! , the door to the memorial sub - basement will be boarded up . Appearances . Jefferson Memorial appears only in " Fallout 3 " .