Four newly regilded bronze horse statues near the Lincoln Memorial have sparked a mixed public reaction in Washington, D.C., after emerging from months of scaffolding as part of a $5 million restoration project overseen by the National Park Service.

The statues, The Arts of War and The Arts of Peace, sit at Lincoln Memorial Circle and were recoated in a thick layer of 23.75-karat gold leaf. President Trump personally announced the reveal on Truth Social on Monday, July 27, sharing photos of the scaffolding coming down and writing, "Taking down the scaffolding around the regilded Arts of War sculptures!"

A Split Reaction From Locals and Tourists

The shine has divided opinion sharply among those passing by. WTOP-FM canvassed pedestrians near the statues after the scaffolding was removed, and reactions ranged widely.

"I don't remember them being this shiny, this gaudy," Washington resident Stephen Francio told the outlet. "I think there's a better use for the funds than polishing up these horses." Another resident, identified only as Karen, was more blunt: "Tacky. It looks like Home Depot gold spray paint."

Tourists offered a different take. Amy, visiting from Topeka, Kansas, described coming across the statues by chance. "I was walking on the backside of the [Lincoln] Memorial, and I was just like, 'Whoa, what is that?'" she said. Her daughter, Gio, called them "really nice" and "super shiny."

Why the Statues Were Restored

The National Park Service awarded the $5 million contract to the Gilders' Studio, a Maryland-based restoration firm, in mid-April. According to reporting from NOTUS, the contract was awarded without competitive bidding, with the Park Service citing a desire to complete the project ahead of the country's 250th anniversary. An Interior Department spokesperson said the statues, first installed in 1951, hadn't been regilded in roughly 50 years. "The Arts of War statues are currently being regilded ahead of our nation's 250. This is the first time in 50 years these statues have been regilded," the spokesperson said.

Restoration experts have flagged corrosion and discoloration issues with the statues for decades, and the Park Service made repairs in the 1970s that didn't fully resolve the underlying problems. Documents obtained separately by The New York Times reportedly showed the agency's own estimate for repairs was closer to $2.4 million, about half the amount awarded to the studio.

Part of a Larger Beautification Push

The horse statue project is one piece of a broader set of renovations to Washington landmarks that Trump has championed since returning to office. According to an investigation by the Financial Times, the full scope of planned renovations, including a proposed White House ballroom and associated security upgrades, could top $1 billion when combining private donations and public funding, with the ballroom project alone estimated at more than $800 million.

Public opinion on the broader renovation push has skewed negative in recent polling, with a majority of Americans expressing dissatisfaction with the scale and cost of the plans, even as the administration continues moving forward with individual projects like the horse statues.

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