Work began last month to restore the prominent memorial honoring Thurgood Marshall, the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, but stopped almost as quickly as scaffolding was erected behind the bronze status of the history-making Maryland native.

Work on the memorial, which was taken down for construction around Lawyers Mall and then when cracks were discovered in its columns, was stopped after contractors identified problems with the reconstruction plan, said a spokesperson for the Department of General Services, which is overseeing the project.

“The contractor has mobilized and begun reconstruction efforts,” Brandon Stoneburg, the DGS spokesperson, said in an email. “However, during the initial phase, issues were identified with the securing compounds specified and purchased f

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