In her June 2 letter, Lois Eisenberg bashed President Donald Trump for demolishing part of the White House to make way for a ballroom. She says his “obsession with his exaggerated, gaudy, pretentious ballroom is excessive beyond belief.” Well, no it’s not. All you need do is look at it and there’s no need to “believe.” But Trump isn’t the only president to undertake such “renovations” to the White House. For example:
Theodore Roosevelt (1902): Modernized the building and built the original West Wing to separate his growing family’s living quarters from executive offices.
William Howard Taft (1909): Expanded the West Wing and created the Oval Office.
Calvin Coolidge (1927): Rebuilt the roof and added a third floor.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1934-1942): Expanded the West Wing and relocated the Oval Office. He also built the East Wing to conceal an underground bunker.
Harry S. Truman (1948-1952): Gutted the interior, reinforcing it with steel beams and a deep concrete foundation.
Richard Nixon (1970-1973): Converted the indoor pool into a press briefing room and added the basement bowling alley.
Gerald Ford (1975): Constructed an outdoor swimming pool.
Wow. Swimming pools and bowling alleys. Many presidents and first ladies have updated and renovated the White House. While many changes are purely decorative, past leaders have rebuilt, expanded and structurally altered the iconic property. So what’s the problem with a ballroom?
Arthur Saginian
Santa Clarita
