In September, President Trump began renovations for a 200-million-dollar, 90,000 sq foot ballroom set to be open by 2027. The west wing of the White House that was built in 1902 under Theodore Roosevelt, was demolished to make room for the ballroom. The ballroom is being paid for by Trump and anonymous donors.
A Brief History of The White House
The White House was built in 1792 under our first president of the United States: George Washington. John Adams and his wife moved in after 8 years of construction. In 1812, the White House was burned down by British forces and was later rebuilt. After James Monroe took residence in 1817, he built the South Portico, followed by the North Portico in 1829 under Andrew Jackson. In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt built the West Wing, and it was remodeled and expanded under William Taft in 1909. The east wing was added by FDR in 1942, who also put in a swimming pool in 1933. Nixon turned the swimming pool into the press briefing room and put a bowling alley into the White House. President Obama built a basketball court.
Trump’s other renovations
Trump has made lots of other renovations to the White House recently. The president remodeled a room outside the Oval Office. In August, he put in a 2-million-dollar limestone patio where the rose garden once was. The patio renovation was made because of the soggy ground in the rose garden. Alongside the patio, Trump has also put a presidential walk of fame into the East Wing of the White House. The walk starts with George Washington and ends with himself and features black and white pictures of all of the presidents with golden plaques. Notably, former President Joe Biden’s picture was replaced by an autograph.
Controversy
The ballroom is mired in substantial controversy. Some are mad because the East Wing is being destroyed. Former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said ‘’It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.’’ The ballroom received significant praise for its beautiful design, with many people believing it was overdue.
With the balloon set to be done by 2027 and more renovations on the way, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the White House next.