The eastern facade of the White House mansion appeared to have been “excellently preserved” when demolition crews did it demolition The East Wing to make room for President Donald Trump Planned dance flooran administration official said in a memo published Friday.
Contractors did their best to protect the White House headquarters during the demolition, keeping heavy equipment at a safe distance and removing some pieces by hand, Joshua Fischer, director of the Office of White House Management, wrote to the committee tasked with approving the plans for Trump Hall. He wrote that some sections of the building were stabilized early, and the movement of vibrations and cracks was monitored.
The National Capital Planning Commission, led by a senior Trump aide, had requested this More details About the demolition process that began without prior notice last fall. The agency has jurisdiction over major construction and renovations of government buildings in the region.
The demolition of the East Wing sparked public outrage when it began without the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment that are typical of even relatively minor alterations to historic buildings in Washington. A lawsuit was filed against the National Trust for Historic Preservation To stop building the hall.
The memo documents the history of the East Wing, which dates back to the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, and explains the White House’s justification for demolishing it, saying it is not possible to preserve it while achieving Trump’s goals for the project. The completed ballroom will include an improved visitor center for security screening and will reduce the need for road closures during major events, Fisher wrote.
The curators documented and preserved artwork, furniture, and other items of historical interest, including “the east transept keystone and panel, cinema furniture, east portico columns, porte-cochere columns, interior wood paneling, chandeliers, historic windows and doors, and other hardware and fixtures.”
“Our goal is to ensure that some of these elements are integrated into the new structure,” Fisher added.
The memo said engineers are studying whether the West Portico, which connects the White House headquarters to the West Wing offices, can support a second story that would make it more visually consistent with plans for a larger east portico connected to the Ballroom. No decisions have been made.
The White House also provided the most detailed renderings of the ballroom published to date. It shows the massive new building dwarfing the destroyed East Wing and matching the height of the historic White House mansion.
The project is scheduled to be discussed during the March 5 meeting of the National Capital Planning Committee.