The Trump Administration has awarded a $5.1 million no-bid contract to a Montgomery County company to regild four 19-foot-high bronze statues near the Arlington Memorial Bridge for the nation’s 250th birthday.

Olney-based The Gilders’ Studio, which specializes in “architectural gilding and decorative finishes,” according to its website, landed the contract on April 21, according to federal records.

The firm, which did not respond to inquiries from The Banner, has done gilding work on many landmarks in and beyond the capital region, including: the Lincoln Memorial; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Temple LDS Church in Kensington; Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri; and the Georgia State Capitol.

The statues, the work of two different sculptors, were commissioned in 1929 and erected in 1951. One pair, the “Arts of War,” flank the entrance to the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which connects D.C. and Virginia near the Lincoln Memorial. The second pair, the “Arts of Peace,” guard the approach to the bridge from the D.C. side.

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President Trump has a particular affinity for gold, which accents his homes, properties and, increasingly since he took office, the interior of the White House.

The National Park Service awarded the contract.

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Cailin Stroyke, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS, said in a statement that the statues’ restorations are for the country’s upcoming 250th birthday.

“President Donald J. Trump is fulfilling his commitment to make D.C. Safe and Beautiful as shown by ... renovations to fountains and parks across the capital,” Stroyke said in a statement. “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 New York Times reported that the gilding of the statues in 23.75-karat gold must be completed by July 4. It also reported that in late March, the park service said the cost of the work would be $2.4 million.

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Members of the U.S Army cross Arlington Memorial Bridge to start the parade down Constitution Avenue marking the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army June 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Army is marking its 250th birthday with a military parade including roughly 6,600 troops, 150 vehicles, and over 50 aircraft.  The parade, which coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, is designed to tell the history of the Army.
Members of the U.S Army cross Arlington Memorial Bridge to start the parade marking the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army last year. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

The Interior Department did not respond to questions about the cost of the project or why the contract was not competitive.

The news outlet Notus, which first reported on the contract, wrote that the park service did not conduct a review to determine whether $5 million is a fair charge for the work.

Gilding the statues was deemed “urgent” and “market research was limited to available historical data and publicizing a special notice to SAM.gov,” the park service wrote in its April award notice, referring to the federal government’s contracting website. The notice was posted online for less than a week, according to the Notus report.

In October, a Silver Spring company was heavily criticized online for its demolition work on the East Wing of the White House to make room for a proposed ballroom.

Silver Spring company demolishing White House wing faces online firestorm