The Trump administration is eyeing more D.C. monuments as clean-up targets in an effort to reshape the nation’s capital.
The Department of the Interior has initiated the process to revamp the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, seeking a contractor to clean granite elements, waterproof fountains, replace plumbing systems and address other deferred maintenance, according to a solicitation notice from the agency posted Monday.
President Donald Trump called for repairs to the monument earlier this year.
The monument features granite columns representing each U.S. state and territory at the time of the war, surrounding a pool filled with fountains. The 22-year-old memorial hasn’t been substantially rehabilitated since its construction, and many aspects have begun to deteriorate, according to the notice. But the memorial was closed for construction from January to May for a $3.7 million renovation, which included work on the fountains and lighting, according to the National Park Service.
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Trump made his first calls to refine the WWII Memorial in the midst of work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the bottom of the WWII fountain was “in pretty bad shape” and should be repainted. He said the color at the bottom of the fountain would be lighter than the reflecting pool’s “American flag blue.” The botched Reflecting Pool resurfacing cost more than $14 million and took more than 60 days to complete. The new paint started peeling off the bottom of the pool less than two weeks after the project finished.
The notice from the Interior Department said the WWII fountains will receive “new waterproofing,” but makes no mention of a fresh paint job.
A tourist vandalized the memorial in August with spray paint and dish soap. It closed for one day before reopening with no permanent damage.
The WWII Memorial is not the only monument the Trump administration set its sights on in recent weeks.
Earlier this month fences went up around the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery as contractors began cleaning the statue as part of Trump’s efforts to “beautify our nation’s capital,” according to a spokesperson for the National Park Service. That project, of which the scope is unclear, is expected to be completed in early November.
The Park Service did not answer questions about what work is being completed at the Marine Corps Memorial. Photos show the bronze statues have been polished.
The Trump administration has poured millions into restoring several fountains across the District, demolished the East Wing of the White House to make way for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom and continues to push for a 250-foot arch monument to the president just outside of Arlington National Cemetery.
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