Trump's $5.1M Regilding of DC Equestrian Statues Sparks Cost Concerns
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on July 27 that scaffolding is being removed from two newly regilded bronze equestrian sculptures in Washington, DC, part of the Arts of War statues. The project, awarded via a $5.1 million no-bid contract to the Gilders' Studio in Maryland, has raised questions after the New York Times reported that the National Park Service estimated repairs at only $2.4 million. The Department of the Interior declined to comment. The Arts of War ("Valor" and "Sacrifice") by Leo Friedlander and Arts of Peace ("Music and Harvest" and "Aspiration and Literature") by James Earle Fraser, erected in 1951 on Lincoln Memorial Circle, had not been restored since the 1970s. The Gilders' Studio is also restoring the granite plinths. Trump's broader makeover of DC monuments includes the Oval Office and a proposed state ballroom costing $600 million.
Key facts
- Trump announced scaffolding removal from regilded Arts of War statues on July 27 via Truth Social.
- The National Park Service granted a $5.1 million no-bid contract to the Gilders' Studio in Maryland.
- The New York Times reported NPS estimated repairs at $2.4 million, roughly half the contract amount.
- The Department of the Interior declined to comment on the cost discrepancy.
- The Arts of War sculptures ('Valor' and 'Sacrifice') were commissioned in 1929 and erected in 1951.
- The Arts of Peace sculptures ('Music and Harvest' and 'Aspiration and Literature') are also slated for regilding.
- The statues had not been restored since the 1970s and showed bronze patches.
- The Gilders' Studio is also restoring the granite plinths.
Entities
Artists
- Leo Friedlander
- James Earle Fraser
- Donald Trump
Institutions
- National Park Service
- Gilders' Studio
- Department of the Interior
- New York Times
- NOTUS
- Hyperallergic
- Truth Social
Locations
- Washington, DC
- United States
- Lincoln Memorial Circle
- Maryland
- Oval Office