A bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike, toppled and burned by demonstrators in 2020 protests, has been reinstalled in Judiciary Square.
Crews placed the statue Saturday, surrounded by fencing and signs reading “Historic preservation work in progress,” Channel 4 in D.C. reported.
The Department of the Interior said the restoration follows President Donald Trump’s directives on restoring historic monuments, citing compliance with federal preservation law and executive orders promoting the beautification of the nation’s capital.
The statue, erected in 1901 at the request of the Freemasons, has long been controversial because of Pike’s Confederate past and alleged ties to the Ku Klux Klan, claims the Masons deny.
D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton called the reinstatement “morally objectionable,” saying a monument honoring “a racist and a traitor” should not stand on public land. D.C. officials have sought its removal for decades, beginning with a 1992 City Council resolution.
The statue’s return underscores a renewed debate over how the U.S. handles Confederate symbols and historic preservation in public spaces.
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