The Trump administration restored Washington, D.C.’s Columbus Circle this week. The monument’s fountain, which serves as the centerpiece of Union Station Plaza, flows again for the first time since 2007.
“In our effort to follow the President’s call to make DC beautiful and great again, we are announcing that we are giving a grant from DOT to Union Station for $465 million. It’s going to fast track critical structural repairs to this building, things like a roof,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a ceremony. “We can’t have leaks in our Union Station roof, so we’re going to fix the roof, enhance the passenger concourses, the Amtrak lounge, and the ticketing experience. We’re going to maximize the station’s revenue potential with retail, with parking, with office spaces, with digital signage, and a lot more. We’re going to improve security, and we’re going to invest in family-friendly infrastructure.”
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum celebrated the monument’s reopening, declaring on social media, “Columbus Circle is a historic front door to Washington, D.C. and thanks to @POTUS, today it is once again ready to welcome the public!”
The development marks the latest step in the beautification of D.C. and takeover of Union Station. In 2025, Duffy said the administration would reclaim management of the site. The Department of Transportation has owned Union Station since the 1980s, but has reduced its management of the site under various agreements. USDOT will now “leverage the valuable commercial aspects of Union Station, under the direct management of USRC, to reinvest in Union Station,” the department said in a news release on the matter, listing primary needs such as improving elevators, lighting, and security, as well as enhancements to passenger experiences and replacing the roof.
