National Park Service to restore, reinstall statue honoring Confederate general in DC after rioters torched it in 2020

The National Park Service (NPS) announced Monday that it will restore and reinstall the statue of Albert Pike, which was toppled and set on fire by protesters during the George Floyd riots in June 2020. The move comes as part of federal efforts to preserve historic landmarks and comply with recent executive orders aimed at restoring monuments and beautifying the nation’s capital.

Originally authorized by Congress in 1898 and dedicated in 1901, the bronze statue honors Pike’s contributions to Freemasonry, specifically his 32-year tenure as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Rite of Scottish Freemasonry. The statue, once located in Washington, DC, has been held in secure storage since it was torn down.

It is now undergoing careful restoration by the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center. The move to restore the statue both in structure and status comes after President Donald Trump issued executive orders to bring back historical recognition over activists protestations.

The restoration aligns with two federal directives: the Executive Order on Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful and the Executive Order on Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. Both orders require federal agencies to protect public monuments and ensure that a comprehensive account of US history is preserved and presented.

According to the NPS, work will soon begin to repair the statue’s damaged stone base, including broken masonry, cracked mortar joints, and mounting fixtures. The full reinstallment is targeted for completion by October 2025.

The statue of Pike, who served as a Confederate general during the Civil War and later as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, was torn down by rioters on June 19, 2020, amid nationwide riots following the death of George Floyd. The date also marked Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.