The circus was refurbished during the 1830s, including the erection of the "Friedenssäule" ("Peace Column") with a statue of Victoria by Christian Daniel Rauch in 1843. The area was completely devastated in World War Two, particularly in an air raid on 3 February 1945 and the Battle of Berlin which followed. In the 1960s, Mehringplatz was redeveloped as a pedestrian zone that would anchor a large social housing area according to the realization of a plan conceived by Hans Scharoun, which was ultimately executed by the Berlin architect . During the 1990s, the installation of striking murals was used to decorate the lower walls of the courtyard areas of the housing blocks.