“We’re back, Italians!” Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director for the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, triumphantly quipped outside Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to celebrate the reopening of the Columbus Fountain.
The fountain honoring 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus has not had water flowing since 2007, but it was restored to its full glory ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebration with significant help from the National Park Service.
NEW: The Columbus Fountain at Union Station is now running again for the first time since 2007. @townhallcom pic.twitter.com/GiZdo0ve1C
— Cameron Arcand (@cameron_arcand) May 28, 2026
“Today is a day of gratitude and a day of celebration,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the fountain, as ambassadors for Italy and Spain were also in attendance.
“We have changed the front door of America,” the secretary said, adding that it was a “symbol of neglect” before the restoration was done.
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! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/nXetZR572W
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) May 28, 2026
The fountain and the view of the Capitol Hill dome are the first things rail passengers arriving in the capital see after exiting the train station.
“You will be met with a fountain that is beautiful and a fountain that actually works,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The project began in December, which led to the area around the fountain being fenced off for months. However, the area around the fountain was often the subject of protest tents, and the fountain was even vandalized with “Hamas is coming” in summer 2024, as pro-Palestine demonstrations accelerated across the country at the time, Townhall reported.
<--- Columbus Circle under Biden
— Corey Inganamort 🪚🌴🪚 (@TheBirdWords) May 28, 2026
----> Columbus Circle under Trump
*all we needed was a new president* https://t.co/MHP4l9tdy9 pic.twitter.com/15uSoO0Mac
In October, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Michael Rulli (R-OH) wrote to the Interior Department asking for the over-century-old fountain to be repaired.
“President Trump deserves credit for his executive orders Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful and Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again. There is no better place to begin restoring civic pride than in Washington, D.C.,” the Republican lawmakers wrote in a letter to Burgum at the time.
“This ongoing neglect has diminished the plaza’s aesthetic and historical significance, creating an impression of abandonment in one of Washington’s most prominent public spaces,” they continued.
The fountain is far from the only change being witnessed across the city. Fountains at Meridian Hill Park in northwest D.C. are now running again, and there are also hotly debated renovations underway to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
Separately, the Smithsonian Castle is also reopened for the summer, as the city is expected to get a barrage of visitors ahead of the major birthday. Freedom 250 has many events planned for the 250th celebration, including the Great American State Fair with a musical lineup, Townhall reported Wednesday.