In the past few days, President Donald Trump has made moves to begin renovations of the East Wing of the White House. The current President has made his intentions clear to demolish parts of the East Wing to create a new ballroom for the White House. This act has caused significant controversy among Democrats and historical conservation groups.
The decision to demolish significant parts of the White House to make way for renovations has upset many among the conservation groups who see the act as the destruction of American History. However, the act of making changes to the White House has been done several times by Presidents across the nation’s history.
The White House is one of many notable buildings that are exempt from a historic preservation law, and the President has made use of that to make changes to the building. Previous presidents have made changes such as constructing an indoor swimming pool and a bowling alley within the structure. The precedent for making changes has been known for decades; however, many have protested the current plans as too much.
A white house official has stated, “all the historical components of the East Wing, such as elements from Carter’s original Office of the First Lady, have been preserved and stored under the supervision of the White House Executive Residence and the National Park Service with support from the White House Historical Association. Plans are in place for future use.”
While this is a massive renovation to create a ballroom for large gatherings, it seems that the current administration is still paying respect to history and preserving all significant memorabilia from the East Wing.
It is uncertain if the proposed ballroom will be a good addition to the White House, but I believe it might be a good addition for receiving diplomats and other important political figures.
