Donald Trump wants to paint the granite exterior of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., white. Yesterday, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) met to review the administration’s proposal. The plans were also submitted on April 16 to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which approved the idea on the condition of successful “testing of the proposed exterior paint.”
Originally known as the State, War, and Navy Building, the massive edifice was built between 1871 and 1888 to house those entities. Now part of the White House compound, it is home to the agencies comprising the Executive Office of the President.
The plan to paint the building represents another bid by Trump to “beautify” the White House complex and nearby areas. It would cost an estimated $7.5 million and has generated more than 2,000 public comments, most of them negative.
Preservationists and architects argue that painting the landmarked structure could cause long-term damage to its granite, and that a painted façade would require constant maintenance. A letter submitted by Rob Nieweg, of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, read in part, “The historic EEOB has been preserved, un-painted, since its completion in 1888. [P]ainting the exterior now would obscure the landmark’s historic appearance, undermine its character-defining features, and accelerate the building’s deterioration.”
At the meeting, the NCPC unanimously requested further information before reviewing the plans again. The project will also require final approval from the Commission of Fine Arts. Both entities, which Trump has stacked with supporters, are considered likely to eventually approve the proposal.
