White House Tours to Resume After Months of Closure, Officials Say.
Public access to the White House has been restricted for about two months due to ongoing construction on a new ballroom and demolition work in the East Wing. The White House Historical Association documented the area before its destruction using digital scanning and photography.
Construction crews began dismantling the eastern facade of the White House last week, making way for the future ballroom. First Lady Melania Trump's office has been relocated to the ground floor, while East Wing staff have set up their desks in the China Room.
The White House tours, which included access to public rooms like the Vermeil Room, Library, and State Dining Room, were suspended due to the construction. However, officials say that bookings are expected to resume soon, along with other public events such as Halloween trick-or-treating.
A spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation expressed concerns over the size of the proposed ballroom annex, warning that it could overwhelm the White House itself. The organization had urged the Trump administration to pause demolition work until a review of President Trump's plans was completed.
The White House Historical Association has taken steps to preserve the historic record of the East Wing and its gardens before their destruction.
Public access to the White House has been restricted for about two months due to ongoing construction on a new ballroom and demolition work in the East Wing. The White House Historical Association documented the area before its destruction using digital scanning and photography.
Construction crews began dismantling the eastern facade of the White House last week, making way for the future ballroom. First Lady Melania Trump's office has been relocated to the ground floor, while East Wing staff have set up their desks in the China Room.
The White House tours, which included access to public rooms like the Vermeil Room, Library, and State Dining Room, were suspended due to the construction. However, officials say that bookings are expected to resume soon, along with other public events such as Halloween trick-or-treating.
A spokesperson for the National Trust for Historic Preservation expressed concerns over the size of the proposed ballroom annex, warning that it could overwhelm the White House itself. The organization had urged the Trump administration to pause demolition work until a review of President Trump's plans was completed.
The White House Historical Association has taken steps to preserve the historic record of the East Wing and its gardens before their destruction.
been stuck inside those hallowed halls for ages lol but i gotta wonder, what's going on with the new ballroom annex? from what i read, it's kinda big 
don't wanna see our nation's history get lost in a sea of marble and chandeliers 
has anyone else seen those pics of the vermeil room? gorgeous! [link to White House Historical Association's digital scanning](https://whha.org/). anyhoo, can't wait to get my tour on 
. I've been following this story for months, and it's crazy how much construction is going on in that area. The first lady's office got relocated already, and now they're tearing down part of the East Wing... it's like a major renovation project 
. But you know who's not happy about it? The National Trust for Historic Preservation folks 
. They're worried that this new ballroom annex is gonna be too big and overwhelm the whole White House building. I get why they'd say that - we've seen some pretty iconic buildings that were renovated, but lost their original charm in the process 
. And who knows, maybe this new ballroom will turn out awesome 
. I mean, can't they just leave some things alone? It's not like they need a ballroom annex or something 
. And what about all the historical stuff that's being destroyed? Like, we're talking about over 200 years of history here... it's crazy 
. Maybe it'll all work out in the end? 
. It's like we're constantly trying to rewrite the story of ourselves, but what do we really know about who we are? 
