National Trust calls for Trump to be stopped
A leading historic preservation group has called on the Trump administration to stop bulldozers tearing down the East Wing of the White House to make way for a massive ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization created by Congress to help preserve historic buildings, said Tuesday that the 90,000-square-foot, $250 million event space would “overwhelm the White House itself,” which is about 55,000 square feet.
The intervention follows the furor caused by images of a demolition team destroying the facade of the east wing on Monday.
“Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough said Trump had launched a “wrecking ball” at the historic building and called the spectacle “simply grotesque.”
But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the “false outrage” as officials argued that the East Wing, which was added in 1902, had been modified many times before.
Trump, who has said he is paying for the reform with funds that also come from private donors, seemed enthusiastic about the work so far when he addressed Senate Republicans on Tuesday from the White House Rose Garden (which he recently paved).
“You can probably hear the beautiful sound of construction in the back,” the president said. “Do you hear that sound? Oh, that’s music to my ears.”
In a letter to the National Park Service and two administrative commissions, Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust, writes:
While the National Trust recognizes the utility of larger meeting space in the White House, we are deeply concerned that the mass and height of the proposed new construction will overwhelm the White House itself (it is 55,000 square feet) and could also permanently alter the carefully balanced classical design of the White House with its two smaller, lower east and west wings.
Citing the need for transparency and public participation, the National Trust urged the administration and the National Park Service to “pause” demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom undergo full public review.
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The White House has attempted to downplay the scale of the makeover, arguing that the alterations will be limited to the building’s east entrance.
But the Washington Post reported Wednesday that demolition work had “progressed Tuesday with the destruction of much of the east wing.”
The newspaper said that “a large part of the structure remained”, but it appeared that “what remained was also earmarked for demolition”, as there was no evidence that the exposed parts of the building were being protected.
The Post also cited an unnamed White House official who did not say whether any of the East Wing members would be spared.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has also decked out the Oval Office and added two massive flagpoles as he seeks to remake the “People’s House” in his own image.
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