Washington

Old North Church’s George Washington bust revitalized (Photos)

Published

2 years ago

January 6, 2024

Old North Church’s George Washington bust revitalized (Photos)

After well over a century, everyone starts showing their age.

But there’s good news for the marble bust of George Washington housed at the Old North Church: a specialist named Christopher Gutierrez knows all the tricks to fix any blemish.

“Today we are working on the restoration cleaning of the sculpture of General George Washington, president George Washington to the rest of us,” Gutierrez said Saturday as he approached the bust with an ultraviolet light. “First steps are going to be to give it a thorough inspection and both visually and with a black light to make sure that there are no defects within the marble. … My guess is there’s probably nothing wrong with it, just it needs a cleaning.”

That wasn’t the case for the four wooden angels across the church, up on the balcony with the organ, which had been busted up pretty badly in years past. Gutierrez said they’d just returned from the shop of the company where he works as lead technician and art handler for the Boston-based Manzi Appraisers & Restoration.

The bust was donated to the church, then known as Christ Church, by Shubael Bell Warden in 1815, according to its plaque. And it quickly got a reputation as one of the truest representations of America’s first president in art, even according to someone who should rightly know: Washington’s own revolutionary friend, the Marquis de Lafayette of France.

“In 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette did this tour in America and came to the church and said that this bust was the best likeness ofGeorge Washington he’d ever seen,” said David Manzi, owner of Manzi Appraisers and Restoration.

The New England Historical Society quotes the Marquis as saying this: “Yes, that is the man I knew and more like him than any other portrait.”

And after all that time, Washington might just need a quick dusting to get back to looking his best.

“We’re not talking very high tech with the stuff,” Gutierrez said. “That’s the funny part part, but it’ll be Swiffer to get the big dust and I’ll be using a Dust Buster to vacuum up the dust so we’re not just redistributing the dust.”

Gutierrez also applied a paste he hopes will give the marble a good cleaning and shine. He put a sample on the back of the bust so that if it doesn’t work or fouls the marble, the visible part of the bust won’t be affected.

Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald
Christopher Gutierrez uses an ultra violet light to look for cracks and fissure in the statue as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Saturday. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA- Christopher Gutierrez (L) confers with David Manzi, owner of Manzi Appraisers and Restoration as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald
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Christopher Gutierrez wipes down George with ionized water as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at Saturday. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA- Christopher Gutierrez cleans out the protocol as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA- George gets a gentle brushing as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA- Christopher Gutierrez uses a q-tip to clean as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald
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Christopher Gutierrez uses his cell phone to get a look at the back side of the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Saturday. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA- Christopher Gutierrez uses an ultra violet light to look for cracks and fissure, and finds a small chips in the edge of the statue as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald) Boston, MA- as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Boston, MA- Christopher Gutierrez uses an ultra violet light to look for cracks and fissure in the statue as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald
Christopher Gutierrez uses a Swiffer and a Dust Buster as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Saturday. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
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Boston, MA- Christopher Gutierrez uses a swiffer and a dust buster to get at the grim as restorers clean up the bust of George Washington at the Old North Church on Jan. 6. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

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Washington

Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

Published

23 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.

What we know:

On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.

Dig deeper:

The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”

Users on social media say the event may be sold out.

Check tulipday.eu for updates.

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.

The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.

Things To Do in the DMVNewsWashington, D.C.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.

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Washington

Week Ahead in Washington: March 1

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – Operation “Epic Fury” — the weekend military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel against targets in Iran — tops the agenda for Congress as lawmakers return to Washington.

Sunday, President Donald Trump said the new leadership in Iran wants to talk to the Trump Administration.

Democrats in both chambers called for Congress to return as soon as possible for classified briefings on Iran, followed by a move to vote on the War Powers Act. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war on another country.

Congress’ return to Washington was originally delayed due to the start of the 2026 midterm elections cycle.

Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas head to the polls for primary elections.

North Carolina and Texas are drawing significant attention, as both states are facing congressional redistricting and competitive primary races for Senate seats.

In Texas, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) is facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. On the Democratic side, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing state Rep. James Talarico.

In North Carolina, candidates are vying to replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) . They include former Governor Roy Cooper (D) and former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.

Also this week, the Rev. Jesse Jackson is laid to rest. He will be honored Wednesday in Washington before a final memorial service Saturday. Jackson died Feb. 17.

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