Plans to place a replica of Baltimore’s toppled Christopher Columbus statue on the White House grounds are gaining momentum again — but there is still no confirmation that the move will happen or when it might occur.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that sources said White House officials have designated a specific area on the grounds for the statue. Yet no one directly involved, from the artists who re-created the sculpture to the White House itself, has confirmed any timeline or formal approval.

Putting the pieces together

The sculpture is sitting in a Centreville warehouse at the moment, the same place it’s been since Tilghman and Will Hemsley put it back together. Protesters toppled and dumped the statue into the harbor in 2020 amid nationwide unrest over the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and other Black people by police violence that year.

Tilghman hired a dive team to recover the broken pieces, which were were taken to the family’s Centreville art studio. Will used 3D scans to digitally reassemble it, then used a mold to create a replica made of crushed marble and resin.

“We brought it out of the harbor and reconstructed it, rebuilt it,” Tilghman said. “So, it’s not really our artwork, but we were instrumental in putting it back together. It’s like Humpty Dumpty.”

Three years later, the re-created statue remains in storage.

“We’ve had it ready for about three years now,” Hemsley said. “I haven’t had any official notice to do anything with it yet. At this point, we’re waiting to hear where it’s going to go.”

Asked by The Baltimore Sun about the statue’s status, the White House Press Office said it had no information to share about a Columbus statue on the White House grounds. The office instead pointed to President Donald Trump’s 2025 Columbus Day proclamation and the administration’s praise of the explorer.

“In this White House, Christopher Columbus was a hero and he will continue to be honored as such by President Trump,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.

President Trump previously denounced protesters taking down statues of historical American figures in 2020.

“We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children, or trample on our freedoms,” Trump said according to a White House transcript from 2020.

A desire to move forward

This is the second time efforts have surfaced to place the statue on White House grounds. Similar discussions last fall about installing it by Columbus Day were never finalized.

Still, supporters say momentum is building to place the statue at the White House. Maryland Del. Nino Mangione said coordination is underway between Trump administration liaisons and members of Baltimore’s Italian American community.

“The key details arose from coordination between liaisons connected to President Trump and members of the Italian American community in Baltimore,” Mangione told The Sun. “President Trump is keeping his word to Americans that he would correct these injustices surrounding Columbus and him receiving the honor he deserves.”

Mangione said the effort is about more than a monument, calling Columbus a hero to Italian Americans and framing the relocation as a response to the statue’s violent removal in 2020.

“Christopher Columbus is a hero to the Italian American Community and he made significant contributions to our country,” Mangione said. “It also matters because it shows that a vicious, narrow-minded group of people who engage in thuggish behavior do not get to have the final word on these matters.”

Hemsley said whatever happens, he’s proud of the work that’s been done. And if it goes to the White House, he’ll be honored that he and his family had a part to play in that.

“I’m just there waiting to hear where it goes,” he said.

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