Park Service Awards $5.1 Million No-Bid Contract to Gold-Leaf 4 Statues Before July 4
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Park Service Awards $5.1 Million No-Bid Contract to Gold-Leaf 4 Statues Before July 4
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 3
Summary
$5.1 million will go to Maryland-based Gilders' Studio under a no-bid National Park Service contract to cover four bridge-end statues in 23.75-karat gold leaf.
The agency said the work must be finished by July 4, 2026, tying the rushed procurement to preparations for the nation's 250th birthday.
The four 19-foot-tall human-and-horse figures near the National Mall have deteriorated for decades, but the administration decided this spring that gilding them was necessary.
The award extends a broader Trump administration pattern of bypassing competitive bidding for Washington landmark projects, including work at Lafayette Park and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.