While the East Wing of the White House was once steeped in history, it’s now just a pile of rubble. And those ruins are apparently fated to become part of a golf course in Washington, D.C.
Reports from multiple outlets, from USA Today to the Washington Post, say the detritus from the construction is being taken to the East Potomac Golf Course. Dump trucks were filmed depositing the rubble on the course while golfers played nearby.
Those same outlets quote anonymous sources saying at least some of the dirt and debris will be used to create mounds on the course. The White House has not commented on the trucks full of debris.
The president is reportedly thinking of rebranding that public golf course as “Washington National Golf Course,” according to a report in Politico.
The teardown of the East Wing, which now seems to be complete, took less than a week. Crews began demolition on Oct. 20, and it was reportedly finished on Sunday. Now work begins on the ballroom, which will be nearly twice the size of the White House’s main building, adding 90,000 square feet to the White House complex. Officials have said they plan to rebuild the offices that were demolished, which included that of the First Lady. (The East Wing is also where the White House has traditionally publicly decorated for the holidays.)
Trump originally said the project would cost $200 million, but has since increased that estimate to $350 million. He insists no taxpayer money is being used for the project. Trump was able to so quickly move forward because the White House is exempted from review under the National Historic Preservation Act. He seemingly bypassed the Commission of Fine Arts, which evaluates design for new projects and filled a third oversight board – the National Capital Planning Commission – with people loyal to him.
So why drop off the debris at that particular course? In October 2002, the National Park Service signed a 50-year lease with National Links Trust to operate the East Potomac Park’s golf course – along with two others.
