The Interior Department announced Thursday it will spend $5.1 million to regild four gold-plated equestrian statues near the Lincoln Memorial, marking the latest high-profile renovation project in the nation's capital under the Trump administration.

The statues, known as the Arts of War and Arts of Peace, were gifted to the United States by Italy roughly 75 years ago. The regilding is the first since 1971 and comes as the administration accelerates preparations for America's 250th birthday celebrations.

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Auramaxxing D.C.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has been touting recent upgrades to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. In a post on social media platform X, the department embraced Gen Z slang, writing: "We're auramaxxing Washington, D.C. ahead of America's 250th birthday."

The project was first reported by NOTUS. The National Park Service has contracted The Gilder's Studio, a Maryland-based firm specializing in architectural gilding and decorative finishes, to perform the work.

Contractor History

The Gilder's Studio has a track record with federal contracts. During the Biden administration, it was awarded $225,854 to regild the First Infantry Division Monument near the White House. Under the first Trump administration, it received $81,943 to paint and regild the American Expeditionary Forces Memorial at the National World War I Memorial. In 2008, the firm also handled a $6,000 regilding contract for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The $5.1 million price tag for the Lincoln Memorial statues is part of a broader pattern of federal spending on D.C. landmarks. Critics have questioned the expense at a time when some Republicans push for fiscal restraint, but the administration frames it as a necessary investment in national heritage.

This renovation effort echoes other Trump-era infrastructure projects, such as the surge in active highway projects touted by the Trump FHWA administrator.

The regilding project is expected to be completed in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.