Secretary Bessent Reopens Treasury Building’s Historic Gallatin Entrance

February 19, 2025 / Source: Treasury

WASHINGTON – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reopened the historic front entrance of the Treasury Department building at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, marking the first time the entry has been open since the 2020 COVID pandemic.

“These doors have witnessed great American history, and they were closed for too long. For the first time in almost 5 years, we opened those doors. America is back.  Another sign of the Golden Age that President Trump is leading,” stated Secretary Bessent. 

This entryway, framed by monolithic Corinthian columns, is known as the Gallatin entrance in honor of the Albert Gallatin, the fourth and longest serving Treasury Secretary, who served from 1801 to 1814. The statue was created by American sculptor James Earle Fraser who also sculpted the Alexander Hamilton statue on Treasury’s south plaza.

Appointed Secretary of the Treasury in 1801 by President Thomas Jefferson and continuing under President James Madison until 1814, Gallatin was in office nearly 13 years, the longest term of any Secretary in the Department’s history. 

Gallatin’s statue was added to Treasury’s north plaza entrance in 1947 in a spot that originally contained a large fountain. The north plaza itself dates to 1869.

The Gallatin entrance was closed in March 2020 due to COVID and remained closed since then for normal, everyday operations involving invited visitors and staff.

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