Grass for gravel: Trump's Rose Garden revamp makes progress
The president has called for a variety of style changes to the White House, inside and out, since taking office again.
Savannah KucharWASHINGTON - Renovations are underway for the historic White House Rose Garden.
Construction crews broke ground on the outdoor area earlier in June after President Donald Trump ordered a major remodel, including replacing the grass with gravel.
The president has said in previous interviews he wanted the area paved for the ease of visitors − specifically those in heeled footwear. “What was happening is, that’s supposed to have events. Every event you have, it’s soaking wet,” Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in March. “It’s soaking wet ... and the women with the high heels, it’s just too much.”
Trump said at the time the grass would go but the flowers can stay. “I think it’s going to be beautiful,” he told Fox. “I think it’s going to be more beautiful.”
The Rose Garden was first planted in 1913 during the Woodrow Wilson administration and has regularly hosted a variety of White House events, including speeches, press conferences and even weddings.
Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy famously brought in landscape designer Rachel Lambert Mellon in 1962 to craft one of the most iconic layouts for the garden outside the Oval Office.
In 2020, First Lady Melania Trump oversaw a Rose Garden revamp, including installing an updated irrigation system and replacing the flowers along the perimeter. The move received mixed reactions at the time, with some criticizing the look of the new garden and others condemning the unveiling’s timing, months into the coronavirus pandemic.
The more recent Rose Garden overhaul is one of several second-term renovations Trump has already launched.
Under his direction, an 88-foot flagpole hoisting a massive American flag was recently installed on the south lawn. A second, matching pole was added in front of the White House on June 18 as well.
“How do you like it, everybody?” Trump said to reporters after the flag reached the top of the pole.
The inside of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave has been made over as well.
Since taking office again in January, Trump has accessorized the executive mansion with splashes of gold trimming. The White House has also added new portraits of Trump to its walls and it recently exchanged a bust of Martin Luther King Jr. for Winston Churchill in the Oval Office.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY