"Demolition crews were on the White House grounds this week to begin demolition of the front facade of the East Wing in order to make way for the construction of a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom that President Trump announced in July. "I am pleased to announce that ground has been broken on the White House grounds to build the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom," Trump wrote on social media the day the work began."
"When the ballroom was first announced this summer, Trump said the project "won't interfere with the current building." During a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt went even further, saying "nothing will be torn down." Those statements turned out to be false. Photos and videos taken at the site on October 20 show the walls of the building being chewed to bits by heavy construction equipment outfitted with a jaw-shaped demolition tool that looks like the head of a tyrannosaurus rex."
Demolition crews began removing the East Wing's front facade to construct a new 90,000-square-foot ballroom announced by President Trump. Trump posted that ground had been broken and called it the new, big, beautiful White House Ballroom. Trump and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously said the project would not interfere with the current building and that nothing would be torn down. Photos and videos from October 20 show heavy equipment demolishing walls, contradicting those claims. The White House is exempt from standard historic preservation review under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, leaving limited protection. Former planning commissioner Bryan Green condemned the damage.
Read at Fast Company
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