Trump demolishes White House's historic East Wing despite preservationists' protests

"Former real estate developer and current US president Donald J. Trump is no stranger to the thorny process of redeveloping a property. However, the property he recently decided to raze and rebuild is part of one of the most historically significant buildings in the country. Last week, Trump had the East Wing of the White House to make way for a $300m, 90,000-sq.-ft ballroom whose design and capacity keep changing."

"While of the National Historic Preservation Act requires any federal agency making renovations on a property to examine the impact of the renovations through a review process, states that three buildings are exempt: the White House, the US Capitol and the US Supreme Court building. The White House and surrounding campus (officially "President's Park") are and administered by the National Park Service."

"Previous presidents have voluntarily submitted their plans for changes to the White House to the National Capital Planning Commission, which the Trump administration has not yet done. White House aide Will Scharf, who is in charge of the project as the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), has argued that planning approval is only needed for construction projects, not demolition, so tearing down the East Wing did not require oversight from the NCPC."

Donald J. Trump ordered demolition of the White House East Wing to build a reported $300 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom with a changing design and capacity. Images of the East Wing being torn down by bulldozers and reduced to rubble have alarmed historians and preservationists. The National Historic Preservation Act requires federal agencies to evaluate renovation impacts but exempts the White House, the US Capitol and the Supreme Court. White House aide Will Scharf said demolition did not require National Capital Planning Commission oversight. Carol Quillen of the National Trust for Historic Preservation warned the proposed massing and height could overwhelm the White House.

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