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Washington DC's Union Station

This project included the conservation and restoration of 40 Legionnaire statues in Washington DC's Union Station.

washington dc union station

BUILDING FACTS

Location: Washington DC
Built: Circa 1907
Original Architect: Daniel Burnham
Style: Classical, Beaux-Arts
Status: National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places

SCOPE

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"Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) hired John Canning & Co. to clean, repair, and restore the 36 Roman Legionnaire statues that adorn Union Station’s Main Hall at the balcony level. This was the first major project of the statuary in Washington, DC’s multimodal station since the 1986-1988 restoration. As the project manager, I could not be happier with the experience of working with Canning. Their professionalism, expertise, and communication made it easy to work with them. In particular, they were adept at balancing their work with the daily atmosphere at one of the busiest stations in the country and accommodating the needs of various stakeholders at Union Station. Throughout the restoration, Canning diligently cleaned and repaired the statuary. They uncovered details on the statues previously unknown to USRC and skillfully documented each stage of the project. The quality of the company’s work has been so superb that numerous commuters, tourists, historic preservation agencies, and news outlets in the nation’s capital have responded with high praise. Due to the impressive work of John Canning & Co., the Roman Legionnaire statues stand brighter and bolder today "
— SARAH MAYERSOHN, DOCUMENT/ARCHIVE MANAGER, UNION STATION REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WASHINGTON, DC

The project included the conservation and restoration of 36 Legionnaire statues overlooking the main hall and an additional 4 Legionnaire along the west hall exterior wall of historic Washington Union Station. Designed by Louis Saint-Gaudens in 1906 and installed in 1914, the Legionnaires are modeled after ancient Roman soldiers and are a protective force to all who travel through the station. The project began with an initial assessment to document and assess the conditions of each statue. Based on the assessment, treatment included repairs to the Keen cement and plaster statues, developing a conservation cleaning agent, and inpainting areas of repair and loss.

Following the AIC Guidelines and Code of Ethics, each statue was documented before, during, and after treatment. The station remained opened to the public and work was scheduled to accommodate scheduled events, store and restaurant hours, and general pedestrian traffic and safety.

Later Canning was selected to perform the Restoration of the Historic Granite Masonry and Finishes in the Main Hall and West Hall. The masonry restoration involved conservation cleaning the historic white granite, repairing areas of cracked stone, and creating and installing a Bethel White Granite dutchman to repair a stone column base.

RELATED ARTICLES

Preserving the Guardians: The Legionnaire Statues of Union Station  

Restoring the Legionnaire Statues of Union Station [Before & After]  

Washington Union Station Statues Restored, The Great American Stations  

36 Roman statues within Union Station get a much-needed scrubbing, WUSA-TV9

Union Station Graffiti Repairs Finished in Early April, The Hill is Home

Washington Union Station Gets a "Quiet" Polish, Preservation Magazine

Restoring Statuary, Traditional Building Magazine