President Trump on Wednesday defended the $300 million expansion project that includes demolition of the White House East Wing after previously saying his ballroom construction plans “won’t interfere with the current building.”
Zoom in: A White House official told Axios on Wednesday evening that the East Wing “is being modernized” from its 1902 and 1942 constructions to support the ballroom project and the future home of the East Wing.
State of play: The White House was constructed between 1792 and 1800, and the East Wing traditionally housed the first lady’s offices after it was built in 1902.
“Renderings released by the White House in July showed the ballroom sitting atop where the East Wing used to sit, and an official press release at the time stated it would sit ‘where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.'”
More from Axios: Snapshots of life at the White House East Wing Here’s how the White House has changed over the decades
President Trump, who had earlier stated that his plans to build a ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building,” defended the $300 million expansion project on Wednesday, which includes demolishing the White House East Wing. “,”.
Large-scale: Trump is being criticized for the Washington, DDOTC construction, which was originally estimated to cost $200 million. The proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom “will overwhelm the White House itself,” which is approximately 55,000 square feet, according to a letter sent this week to administration officials by the nation’s National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Making the news: After the president stated in July that the ballroom would be close to the building “but not touching it,” a reporter told Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday that many people were shocked that the entire East Wing would be demolished. “,”.
“Certain areas are being left,” Trump expressed in reference to the privately financed project.
After a great deal of research with some of the world’s top architects, we came to the conclusion that tearing it down and attempting to use just a small portion of the East Wing was not much. Not much remained of the original, he continued.
“We had to demolish the existing structure in order to complete the task correctly. “..”.
Zoom in: To support the ballroom project and the project’s future location, the East Wing “is being modernized” from its 1902 and 1942 constructions, a White House official told Axios on Wednesday night.
According to an email from the official, “the project’s size and scope have always been subject to vary as the process developed.”.
Situation: The White House was built between 1792 and 1800, and the first lady’s offices were customarily located in the East Wing after it was constructed in 1902. In 1942, a significant renovation and expansion took place.
According to the White House Historical Association, President Truman’s renovations, which took place between 1948 and 1952, are primarily responsible for the presidential complex as it exists today.
The building was “very much changed from what it was originally,” Trump told reporters Wednesday, adding a story that was “not particularly nice” when it was added in 1948–49. “.
Important to note: CNN notes that “in some ways, the cries of disapproval are coming too late.”.
The ballroom would be located “where the small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits,” according to a press release issued by the White House in July. The renderings showed the ballroom sitting atop the location where the East Wing once stood. “”.
Axios has more to offer.
Views from the East Wing of the White House.
Here are some changes that have occurred in the White House over the years.
