Full Transcript for The White House Makeover

arguing about historical character versus practical function. 00:05:11.069 --> 00:05:14.509 That debate only intensified in the 20th century. 00:05:15.409 --> 00:05:18.569 Which, of course, is the 1900s. 00:05:21.915 --> 00:05:26.235 Was that supposed to be funny? I'm funny. Sometimes. 00:05:27.055 --> 00:05:31.695 President Theodore Roosevelt brought the first modern mega-renovation. 00:05:31.895 --> 00:05:39.195 In 1902, he hired Charles McKim of McKinnon, Kim Mead, and White to rationalize 00:05:39.195 --> 00:05:44.635 the building, separate the family's living quarters from the expanding executive operation, 00:05:45.175 --> 00:05:50.415 refit the state floor for larger, more formal entertaining, and remove the own 00:05:50.415 --> 00:05:52.795 old conservatories on the west side. 00:05:53.155 --> 00:05:58.535 Out go the greenhouse. In comes a temporary office structure that becomes the West Wing. 00:05:58.915 --> 00:06:02.795 Congress appropriates over half a million dollars for the project. 00:06:03.955 --> 00:06:07.675 Temporary in Washington often means for the next century. 00:06:08.735 --> 00:06:13.755 Also, McKim stripped away the Victorian aesthetics that earlier presidents loved, 00:06:13.755 --> 00:06:19.295 sweeping back towards a colonial-slash-classical look that Roosevelt thought more fitting. 00:06:20.795 --> 00:06:24.615 Preservationists and garden lovers howled about the loss of the greenhouses, 00:06:24.615 --> 00:06:27.735 but the change reflected a tectonic shift. 00:06:27.955 --> 00:06:32.535 The presidency was becoming a 20th-century institution with staff, 00:06:32.935 --> 00:06:35.875 communications, and a public stage to manage. 00:06:36.415 --> 00:06:40.295 Was the thought of tectonics even existing at this point in time? 00:06:40.835 --> 00:06:48.295 I do believe it was. I will check But I think it was Because that was after 00:06:48.295 --> 00:06:51.435 They've determined the earth wasn't The center of the universe. 00:06:53.495 --> 00:07:01.295 I know that was before the Pangea and everything Gondwano land Really? This is 1902? 00:07:02.695 --> 00:07:08.395 Well? I'm, my internet's slow. Well, that's because it looks like it's loading 00:07:08.395 --> 00:07:10.515 pictures. Yeah. I don't know why. 00:07:10.995 --> 00:07:15.295 As far back as the 16th and 17th centuries, thinkers noticed the shape of the 00:07:15.295 --> 00:07:16.835 continents seemed to fit together. 00:07:17.315 --> 00:07:22.915 Okay. In the mid-1800s, fossil evidence and rock type similarities across continents 00:07:22.915 --> 00:07:26.575 reinforced the possibility of large-scale continental movement. 00:07:26.895 --> 00:07:31.135 Okay, so like late 1800s. Yeah. So, okay, close to. 00:07:31.315 --> 00:07:36.535 Yeah. Yeah, and specifically the continental drift theory that came out in 1912. 00:07:36.975 --> 00:07:38.355 Oh, I was right. 00:07:38.815 --> 00:07:42.015 But, like, they were already talking about it. 00:07:42.155 --> 00:07:44.775 That's just when the more concrete— That's because that's when they were able 00:07:44.775 --> 00:07:46.895 to talk about it. They're like, remember what happened to, like, 00:07:47.035 --> 00:07:47.915 you know, Galilee. Right. 00:07:48.215 --> 00:07:54.375 I mean, in 1858, Antonio Snyder Pellegrini proposed that similar fossil plants 00:07:54.375 --> 00:07:57.855 found in coal deposits in Europe and North America might be explained if the 00:07:57.855 --> 00:08:00.655 two continents were once connected. Yeah, well. 00:08:01.255 --> 00:08:04.675 So, I mean. 1912. I win. Oh, okay. 00:08:07.555 --> 00:08:12.935 It was definitely in the scientific minds of the time. But is that back when 00:08:12.935 --> 00:08:13.915 they believed in science? 00:08:15.475 --> 00:08:22.155 Well, this was before the Scopes trial. Oh. I'm wearing my Inherit the Wind shirt. 00:08:23.355 --> 00:08:26.775 Because today was pajama day at school, so that's why I'm wearing sweatpants 00:08:26.775 --> 00:08:29.955 and a t-shirt. Oh, I thought you wore the skulls to bend. 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:34.579 It's comfy. Okay, so I think it's your line. 00:08:36.239 --> 00:08:43.419 And the famous Oval Office? The famous Oval Office? That's the next chapter. But why is it so famous? 00:08:43.739 --> 00:08:45.599 Because it's an oval? Yeah. 00:08:46.119 --> 00:08:51.859 Wow. In 1909, William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first 00:08:51.859 --> 00:08:54.419 Oval Office as the president's working room. 00:08:54.419 --> 00:08:59.959 The oval shape, inspired by the resident's blue room and formal leaveies going 00:08:59.959 --> 00:09:05.339 back to Washington, places the president at the hub, closer to staff and operations. 00:09:05.499 --> 00:09:10.919 It's a design that's not just iconic but also practical, ensuring the president's 00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:13.559 efficiency in managing the nation's affairs. 00:09:14.499 --> 00:09:20.579 Herbert Hoover's first year brings a Christmas Eve 1929 fire that damages the 00:09:20.579 --> 00:09:25.259 West Wing. He repairs and makes improvements, including early air conditioning. 00:09:25.839 --> 00:09:30.819 Then Franklin Roosevelt reshaped the West Wing again in 1933 and 34, 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:35.819 pushing eastward and relocating the Oval Office for privacy and accessibility, 00:09:35.819 --> 00:09:37.919 which seems like an oxymoron. 00:09:38.079 --> 00:09:41.119 But I think he meant so only certain people could access it. 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:47.519 As the government grows, so does the complexity. The White House, 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:51.759 like the nation it represents, is expanding in both size and influence. 00:09:54.395 --> 00:09:57.955 And the residence gets taller, too. Right. Sorry, slightly annoyed. 00:09:58.555 --> 00:10:01.815 About what? Stuff. Oh, okay. 00:10:02.535 --> 00:10:11.055 Calvin College, 1927 renovation adds a whole third floor, including the solarium over the south portico. 00:10:11.395

--> 00:10:16.215 This not only provided more living space, but also improved the roof structure, 00:10:16.535 --> 00:10:19.055 enhancing the safety and comfort of the first family. 00:10:19.315 --> 00:10:24.495 It's more living space and better roof structure. Another practical modernization 00:10:24.495 --> 00:10:29.135 that changes how the First Family inhabited the house. Then World War II hits. 00:10:29.775 --> 00:10:33.175 In 1942, the White House added the East Wing. 00:10:33.875 --> 00:10:40.215 On the surface, it provides public entry in office space, particularly for the First Lady's staff. 00:10:40.535 --> 00:10:46.075 Below ground, it conceals and protects the President's Emergency Operations Center, the PEOC. 00:10:46.455 --> 00:10:49.835 It has made famous and Olympus has fallen. Yes, I love them. 00:10:50.715 --> 00:10:54.155 It's free right now, too. Really? I might have to watch it again. 00:10:54.395 --> 00:10:57.735 It was on Netflix for a while, but it hasn't been. 00:10:58.135 --> 00:11:00.895 Well, it's free on Vizio, at least. Hmm. 00:11:01.795 --> 00:11:07.295 The PEOC was built for wartime, continuity, and later used during other crises. 00:11:07.795 --> 00:11:12.295 The East Wing's wartime origins matter today because they tie the building's 00:11:12.295 --> 00:11:17.315 form to national security needs, reflecting the changing role of the presidency 00:11:17.315 --> 00:11:21.215 and the White House during times of crisis like World War II. 00:11:22.655 --> 00:11:24.375 Except the White House was never a target. 00:11:25.696 --> 00:11:28.836 Was. It's just... It was a target nobody could get to. In a theory, 00:11:29.056 --> 00:11:33.536 yeah. Of course, we also thought they couldn't get to Pearl Harbor. So, they did. 00:11:35.796 --> 00:11:38.356 Or Alaska. Who thought they couldn't get to either of those? 00:11:38.496 --> 00:11:40.256 I meant, like, the general public. 00:11:40.476 --> 00:11:44.036 Not necessarily the people in government or, like, military. 00:11:44.256 --> 00:11:46.776 I meant general public. I meant general public. Yeah. 00:11:47.556 --> 00:11:50.336 Well, they got to Alaska. I said mainland. 00:11:50.736 --> 00:11:56.096 No, I know. But, like, if they could get to the Aeotian Islands off of Alaska. 00:11:56.336 --> 00:11:57.236 I think I said that correctly. 00:11:57.996 --> 00:12:02.556 And after they hit Pearl Harbor, we definitely were worried about them getting to mainland. 00:12:02.976 --> 00:12:08.336 But I was speaking primarily about the normal everyday person in America. 00:12:08.956 --> 00:12:13.676 Like, by the late 1940s, the residence was in trouble. 00:12:13.956 --> 00:12:17.936 Years of ad hoc alterations left it structurally unsound. 00:12:19.188 --> 00:12:25.208 In 1948, a leg of Margaret Truman's piano literally breaks through the floor. 00:12:25.808 --> 00:12:31.408 One of the many warning signs. Engineers conclude the interior is failing. 00:12:32.008 --> 00:12:36.268 Or she just

sucked and the piano gave up. I don't think so. 00:12:38.148 --> 00:12:42.908 Or she was using the piano for non-piano purposes. No, that's something I'm 00:12:42.908 --> 00:12:45.388 going to think about now. Thanks. Yeah, she was dancing on it. 00:12:47.688 --> 00:12:51.168 Either way, it should not have fallen through the roof. Or she was sitting on 00:12:51.168 --> 00:12:55.548 it and Harry was playing it. It's all Truman's fault. 00:12:57.468 --> 00:13:03.008 Yeah. You could say the house was still standing only out of habit, as one engineer put it. 00:13:03.688 --> 00:13:07.328 Exactly. President Harry Truman oversees a radical solution. 00:13:07.988 --> 00:13:12.808 Evacuate, gut the residence down to its stone walls, and rebuild the interior 00:13:12.808 --> 00:13:15.288 as a modern steel and concrete structure. 00:13:15.388 --> 00:13:22.628 From 1948 to 1952, the executive residence became a shell with a brand new skeleton. 00:13:23.748 --> 00:13:32.168 660 tons of steel framing, new floors, new mechanicals cost about $5.7 million in public funds. 00:13:33.188 --> 00:13:38.248 It is, in effect, the 20th century building in an 18th century suit. 00:13:38.508 --> 00:13:41.968 So the part we see, the limestone exterior, remains. 00:13:42.228 --> 00:13:46.428 Inside, it's fundamentally new. And not without controversy. 00:13:46.688 --> 00:13:54.048 In 1948, Truman also added the now-beloved Truman Balcony to the South Portico. 00:13:54.548 --> 00:14:00.128 Critics, including members of the Commission of Fine Arts, said it spoiled the classical lines. 00:14:00.428 --> 00:14:07.068 Truman argued it would shade the portico, eliminate ugly awnings, and balance the facade. 00:14:07.068 --> 00:14:12.188 He paid for the balcony from the White House household account rather than a 00:14:12.188 --> 00:14:17.248 separate appropriation, and after it was built, many critics conceded it looked good. 00:14:17.448 --> 00:14:22.668 It's a classic case of scandalous change becoming part of the canon. 00:14:24.805 --> 00:14:30.705 What canon? Canon of the White House. Are you threatening the White House with a canon? Ha! 00:14:32.945 --> 00:14:39.585 Oh. The Truman rebuild stabilized the structure, but left interiors feeling generic. 00:14:39.905 --> 00:14:44.545 First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy arrived in 1961 with a different mission, 00:14:44.545 --> 00:14:50.185 to treat the state floor like a museum and furnish it with authentic American imperial pieces. 00:14:50.185 --> 00:14:56.425 She recruits advisors like Henri-Francis Dupuy, brings in designers such as 00:14:56.425 --> 00:15:01.185 Stéphane Boudin, and raises private funds for acquisitions. 00:15:02.325 --> 00:15:10.825 Congress, recognizing the need for stewardship, passed Public Law 87-286 in 1961, 00:15:10.825 --> 00:15:15.105 declaring the White House state and ground floors to have a museum character 00:15:15.105 --> 00:15:20.985 and making historically significant furnishings inalienable property of the White House. 00:15:20.985 --> 00:15:27.365 Then, in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson issued Executive Order 11145, 00:15:27.545 --> 00:15:32.305 establishing the Curator and Committee for the Preservation of the White House, 00:15:32.525 --> 00:15:37.125 formalizing expert oversight of any changes to the state rooms. 00:15:38.385 --> 00:15:43.605 Again, this is an executive order, but executive orders cover the executive 00:15:43.605 --> 00:15:47.205 office and branch, or government, so that makes sense. 00:15:47.445 --> 00:15:49.645 When they fit your current narrative. 00:15:51.905 --> 00:15:53.525 Translation, you can still redecorate, 00:15:53.585 --> 00:15:56.585 but you can't just yard sale the Lincoln Bed to buy a sectional. 00:15:57.625 --> 00:16:01.525 And it changes how projects... But you can sell bricks from the East Wing. 00:16:01.945 --> 00:16:03.225 Oh my god, is that happening? 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:08.159 I heard, but I didn't research it. Oh, okay. So rumor is. 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:13.679 And it changed how projects were funded. The White House Historical Association, 00:16:13.939 --> 00:16:20.419 founded in 1961, becomes the non-profit vehicle for private donations and acquisitions. 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:26.379 Public appropriations continue to cover building systems and operations. 00:16:26.739 --> 00:16:33.799 It's a dual-track approach. private money for museum-quality interiors and education, 00:16:34.359 --> 00:16:40.379 the museum park aspect, and federal money for the physical plant and security. 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:44.899 Like the physical upkeep of the building, because we can't have it falling down 00:16:44.899 --> 00:16:49.479 on top of the heads of the first family and staff. That's bad. I mean... 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:53.499 That's bad. At that point in time, yes, it wouldn't have been bad. That's always bad. 00:16:53.699 --> 00:16:58.819 After Kennedy, most changes are incremental. Routine refittings of the West 00:16:58.819 --> 00:17:03.159 and East Wings Ongoing preservations of state rooms And lifestyle amenities 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:06.939 that spark predictable chatter For example, 00:17:07.179 --> 00:17:15.559 Nixon's 1969 Bullying Lane Separate from staff lanes Carter-era solar hot water 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:18.839 panels Later removed And much later, 00:17:19.059 --> 00:17:23.159 Obama-era photovaltic Oh gosh, 00:17:23.919 --> 00:17:27.859 Photovaltic panels returning to the residence roof in 2014. 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:32.919 I think that's the solar panels, right? 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:36.659 Why do I have such a weird scientific name for it? Because they're a different 00:17:36.659 --> 00:17:38.539 kind of solar panel. Okay. 00:17:39.239 --> 00:17:43.619 The pattern is familiar. It collects a different type of light than the normal. 00:17:43.919 --> 00:17:47.979 Oh, okay. But it's still like the same purpose kind of. Yeah. Yeah. 00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:53.299 This pattern is

familiar. There are symbolic gestures blended with quiet infrastructure work. 00:17:54.558 --> 00:17:58.618 It's just pretty much how, you know, different part of the spectrum that it... Okay. 00:17:59.038 --> 00:18:03.658 Well, and plus to be more modern. Yeah, because Carter was 70. 00:18:03.858 --> 00:18:06.678 That's different because before it was announced they can use infrared and stuff. 00:18:06.738 --> 00:18:08.678 Right. That totally makes sense. Yeah. 00:18:09.318 --> 00:18:13.958 And through all of it, the rule of the 1960s still holds. Museum quality things are protected. 00:18:14.798 --> 00:18:18.358 Were protected. And you go through the Preservation Committee. 00:18:19.258 --> 00:18:24.658 That plus your friendly neighborhood acronyms. NPS, the National Park Service, 00:18:25.038 --> 00:18:28.538 stewards the grounds and partners with the executive residents. 00:18:28.958 --> 00:18:31.758 The Secret Service drives security needs. 00:18:32.538 --> 00:18:35.778 GSA and other federal entities touch facilities. 00:18:36.218 --> 00:18:40.938 And advisory bodies like the Commission of Fine Arts and National Capital Planning 00:18:40.938 --> 00:18:44.678 Commission review major projects in the Capitol. 00:18:44.938 --> 00:18:47.738 It's a multi-agency by design. 00:18:48.498 --> 00:18:51.978 At least it was. Now, I was going to say, you mean one person? 00:18:52.818 --> 00:18:58.398 It's not set up that way. Does that matter? In our current environment, 00:18:58.398 --> 00:18:59.818 it does not seem to matter. 00:19:00.898 --> 00:19:06.418 I was going to say, it's you. I know. In the 2000s and 2010s, 00:19:06.598 --> 00:19:09.798 renovation increasingly means fiber networks, 00:19:10.518 --> 00:19:16.018 SCIFs, and hardening the perimeter, changes you can't often see. 00:19:16.918 --> 00:19:20.418 The situation room specifically, let's talk about that for a second. 00:19:20.858 --> 00:19:26.518 First formalized under JFK has undergone multiple tech overhauls because, 00:19:26.518 --> 00:19:28.578 you know, technology evolves. 00:19:29.298 --> 00:19:36.858 Yeah. The most recent was a one-year roughly $50 million renovation completed 00:19:36.858 --> 00:19:42.238 in 2023 that modernized secure communications, rooms, and workflows. 00:19:42.238 --> 00:19:47.598 It's the most secure square footage in the building, and it must be upgraded 00:19:47.598 --> 00:19:51.258 on a cycle that keeps up with threats. Totally makes sense. 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:59.300 The fence. Following repeated jump attempts, the Secret Service and NPS, National Park Service, 00:19:59.600 --> 00:20:05.860 led a $64 million project to replace the six and a half foot fence with a 13 00:20:05.860 --> 00:20:10.700 foot anti-climb barrier beginning in 2019. 00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:16.540 That's a renovation of the boundary. Less glamorous than a ballroom, 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:19.600 more consequential for security. 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:24.260 The change in perimeter also tells you how the public realm shifts. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:30.840 Tourists grumbled about views. Security people pointed incident data that push-pull 00:20:30.840 --> 00:20:32.540 is baked in every White House decision. 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:35.840 Meanwhile... Of course something's baked. It's baked. 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:44.000 Meanwhile... How do I say that word? Silical? No. Cyclical. Thank you. 00:20:44.520 --> 00:20:49.540 Meanwhile, cyclical maintenance goes on. West Wing refreshes, 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:51.980 carpet and paint, IT upgrades. 00:20:52.760 --> 00:20:57.940 In 2017, a two-week West Wing renovation addresses structural repairs, 00:20:58.280 --> 00:21:02.840 HVAC, and network systems, reported at around a few million dollars. 00:21:03.140 --> 00:21:09.980 These are routine federal facilities projects baked into budgets and planned ahead of time. 00:21:10.780 --> 00:21:14.180 And sometimes first lady initiatives like Millennia Trump's Tennis Pavilion 00:21:14.180 --> 00:21:17.100 and a 2020 Rose Garden renovation, 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:21.980 headline for design choices and donor optics, But they also plug into the broader 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:28.180 matrix of NPS, the Preservation Committee, and private funding via the Historical Association. 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:34.600 In October 2025, you know, this month. Although by the time this comes out, 00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:37.180 it won't be this month. If this episode ever comes out. 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:42.600 It might not be this year. But I... Okay. 00:21:43.840 --> 00:21:49.980 The White House began demolishing the East Wing to make way for a massive glass-walled 00:21:49.980 --> 00:21:55.040 ballroom project championed by President Donald Trump. We began demolishing? They did demolish. 00:21:58.033 --> 00:22:04.293 I'm just going by what you said. The proposal, variously cited at $250 to $300 00:22:04.293 --> 00:22:10.093 million, calls for a roughly 90,000-square-foot facility connected to the residents. 00:22:10.853 --> 00:22:15.613 The administration has said the project is privately funded through donations 00:22:15.613 --> 00:22:18.733 from individuals, corporations, and the president's associates. 00:22:18.913 --> 00:22:20.633 The East Wing isn't just any annex. 00:22:20.893 --> 00:22:24.133 It's a wartime structure with the PEOC bunker below. 00:22:24.433 --> 00:22:27.773 And decades of First Lady's operations above. preservationists, 00:22:27.993 --> 00:22:33.193 architects, and process watchers started waving red flags the moment demolition fencing went up. 00:22:33.473 --> 00:22:37.793 Critics, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Professional 00:22:37.793 --> 00:22:42.773 Groups, argued that large federal projects in Washington typically require review 00:22:42.773 --> 00:22:47.813 by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. 00:22:48.173 --> 00:22:53.333 Public processes rooted in federal policy

and decades of precedent. 00:22:53.813 --> 00:22:59.313 Reporting noted that demolition was underway even as those public steps had 00:22:59.313 --> 00:23:05.853 not yet been completed, sparking questions about legal mechanisms to halt or review the teardown. 00:23:06.013 --> 00:23:10.713 The administration has maintained that private funding and distinctions between 00:23:10.713 --> 00:23:15.353 demolition and construction changed the approval landscape. 00:23:15.733 --> 00:23:17.473 That's called lawyer speak. 00:23:18.093 --> 00:23:27.213 Others say that it is a break from norms and potentially form new policy going forward. 00:23:28.093 --> 00:23:31.813 Meanwhile, the donor list, not to be confused with the Epstein list, 00:23:31.933 --> 00:23:33.293 this list we actually kind of have. 00:23:33.753 --> 00:23:37.513 Large brand name companies in tech and defense reportedly included, 00:23:37.773 --> 00:23:41.573 added another layer, is corporate philanthropy remaking the people's house or 00:23:41.573 --> 00:23:43.473 just underwriting an executive preference? 00:23:43.993 --> 00:23:47.813 That's not a new question. Jackie Kennedy's restoration relied on donors, 00:23:47.933 --> 00:23:52.573 too, but the scale, the demolition of a whole wing and the timeline make this different. 00:23:53.333 --> 00:23:56.353 Yes, as far as I recall, she didn't demo anything. 00:23:58.898 --> 00:24:04.338 The administration frames the project as an overdue modernization for state hospitality. 00:24:05.358 --> 00:24:10.218 Tents on the South Lawn are inelegant. The East Room is too small. 00:24:10.598 --> 00:24:15.698 A 900 to 1,000-guest ballroom would meet contemporary diplomatic needs, 00:24:16.418 --> 00:24:21.318 but it was good enough for Princess Diana in 1985 to dance with John Travolta in. 00:24:21.658 --> 00:24:24.598 And, you know, everybody else. Yeah. 00:24:25.378 --> 00:24:29.578 Opponents counter that the White House already has large entertaining spaces 00:24:29.578 --> 00:24:34.938 and that megastructures alter the historic composition of the grounds, 00:24:35.278 --> 00:24:41.358 including the Rose Garden axis long associated with JFK and designer Rachel 00:24:41.358 --> 00:24:45.598 Bunny Mellon, which is also now gone. Thanks, Trump. 00:24:45.938 --> 00:24:51.398 Some stories describe patio-style treatments extending across parts of the garden, 00:24:51.398 --> 00:24:56.038 or all of it. Well, maybe it's parts, but it's most of it. 00:24:56.238 --> 00:25:03.218 A symbolic flashpoint since the garden itself was just redesigned in 2020. Thank you, Trump. 00:25:04.598 --> 00:25:10.038 Process and symbolism again. Even in earlier times, presidents pushed things through. 00:25:11.118 --> 00:25:15.798 Theodore Roosevelt bulldozed greenhouses. Truman built the balcony amid jeers, 00:25:15.978 --> 00:25:19.458 but those actions also flowed through appropriations and commissions in ways 00:25:19.458 --> 00:25:24.458 that were recognizable and reversible. This one feels bigger. And more permanent. 00:25:24.958 --> 00:25:30.318 Bigger in size and precedent. Multiple outlets reported that the East Wing demolition 00:25:30.318 --> 00:25:34.338 is proceeding ahead of formal NCPC approvals. 00:25:34.838 --> 00:25:39.158 Former commission officials told reporters that while review is traditionally 00:25:39.158 --> 00:25:45.558 required, there may be no precise administrative mechanism to stop demolition once underway. 00:25:45.918 --> 00:25:47.838 Yeah, it's a little too late at that point. Yeah. 00:25:49.041 --> 00:25:53.221 That procedural ambiguity, paired with a pledge of private funding, 00:25:53.501 --> 00:25:58.541 made this the most controversial physical change since the Truman Reconstruction, 00:25:58.761 --> 00:26:02.441 which did go through appropriations. 00:26:02.601 --> 00:26:03.261 Yeah, yeah. 00:26:03.441 --> 00:26:07.461 With the exception of that balcony, which was a little more like a private funding. 00:26:08.381 --> 00:26:13.121 Let's step back and decode approvals and fundings across the eras. 00:26:13.441 --> 00:26:19.181 Early Republic to 19th century. Congress authorizes spending to build or rebuild 00:26:19.181 --> 00:26:22.801 after 1814, furnish, and maintain the president's house. 00:26:23.001 --> 00:26:27.841 Purchases sometimes include authority to dispose of out-of-date items, 00:26:28.161 --> 00:26:31.641 reflecting a utilitarian view of federal property. 00:26:32.641 --> 00:26:39.481 Theodore Roosevelt and Taft, 1902-1909. Congress appropriates funds to modernize 00:26:39.481 --> 00:26:45.981 and separate functions, the business of the White House and where the family 00:26:45.981 --> 00:26:47.281 lived. That's what that means. 00:26:48.081 --> 00:26:54.381 McKim's 1902 overhaul and Taft's 1909 expansion with the First Oval Office are 00:26:54.381 --> 00:26:58.101 classic public works inside the executive compound. 00:26:58.541 --> 00:27:04.941 Approvals involved the president, architects, and already by then, advisory art bodies. 00:27:05.501 --> 00:27:10.901 Calvin Coolidge, 1927. Third floor expansion, ancillarium. 00:27:11.141 --> 00:27:16.021 Again, federal works, improving the residence envelope and living capacity. 00:27:16.501 --> 00:27:20.301 Not flashy to the public, vital for function. 00:27:20.881 --> 00:27:28.761 Truman, in 1948 to 1952, the large-scale structural rebuild funded with public 00:27:28.761 --> 00:27:34.061 money, steel frame, new systems, and the famous balcony paid from household funds. 00:27:34.381 --> 00:27:39.201 This is the last time the White House core changed on any magnitude. 00:27:39.621 --> 00:27:46.161 Until now. With approval and oversight. Approval and oversight? What's that? What? 00:27:47.106 --> 00:27:53.526 Kennedy and after 1961 plus. A new architecture of governance, 00:27:53.746 --> 00:27:59.066 public law 87 to 86, protects museum characters, state and ground floors. 00:27:59.406 --> 00:28:04.446 The 1964

executive order establishes the Curator and Preservation Committee. 00:28:04.826 --> 00:28:10.966 The White House Historical Association serves as the conduit for private gifts and acquisitions. 00:28:11.226 --> 00:28:15.406 And those private gifts might be money, but they might also be paintings or 00:28:15.406 --> 00:28:20.526 sculptures. while public appropriations support the building and grounds. 00:28:20.986 --> 00:28:27.826 From this point, First Lady projects can be privately funded and still professionally reviewed. 00:28:28.426 --> 00:28:33.466 And okayed. Security and infrastructures, 2000-2020s. 00:28:33.666 --> 00:28:37.706 Situation room overhauls for, you know, national security. 00:28:38.186 --> 00:28:41.246 Understandable. New fencing, again, security. 00:28:41.686 --> 00:28:46.686 Cyber security and HVAC work. All needs upgraded eventually. 00:28:48.294 --> 00:28:52.774 Time keeps going, paid through federal appropriations and managed with multiple 00:28:52.774 --> 00:28:59.354 agencies, the EEOP, the USSS, NPS, and GSA, and commissions when required, 00:28:59.454 --> 00:29:01.014 and there's also a bidding process. 00:29:01.534 --> 00:29:04.434 These aren't decorative, they're mission critical. 00:29:05.274 --> 00:29:08.754 Then we have the Trump Ballroom 2025. 00:29:09.594 --> 00:29:14.534 Private pledges and donors underwrite a large new construction that requires 00:29:14.534 --> 00:29:16.174 demolition of the East Wing. 00:29:16.514 --> 00:29:20.814 Critics say it bypassed traditional review and public comment. 00:29:20.994 --> 00:29:24.014 That's not critics. That's actually what happened. 00:29:24.794 --> 00:29:28.314 That's like everyday people saying this as well. 00:29:28.734 --> 00:29:34.594 The White House argues that review regime doesn't bar demolition and that approvals 00:29:34.594 --> 00:29:37.974 will follow for construction. So it's okay to tear down. 00:29:38.954 --> 00:29:45.394 No approval needed for that to tear down an entire part of the building that's 00:29:45.394 --> 00:29:48.714 been there since, what was that, 1942? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. 00:29:49.594 --> 00:29:52.914 The scale of private money. But you know he's just doing it because the actual 00:29:52.914 --> 00:29:55.454 residence is too small, so that's going to actually be the residence, 00:29:55.494 --> 00:29:59.374 and he's going to gut the inside of what the White House is and turn that into the ballroom. 00:29:59.974 --> 00:30:03.214 Well, that's a theory I haven't heard yet, but okay. That's what he's going 00:30:03.214 --> 00:30:05.634 to do because that's why it's bigger than the residence, because the residence 00:30:05.634 --> 00:30:06.614 isn't big enough for him. 00:30:07.074 --> 00:30:11.914 The scale of private money changes optics and governance questions. 00:30:12.614 --> 00:30:17.254 So in short, earlier errors equal public money and visible processes. 00:30:17.634 --> 00:30:21.814 Mid-century onward equals a split model where private money decorates, 00:30:22.034 --> 00:30:23.894 public money secures and maintains. 00:30:24.454 --> 00:30:28.314 Today's ballroom equals private checkbook funding, a structural transformation 00:30:28.314 --> 00:30:31.634 whose process alarms the world. Yes. 00:30:33.422 --> 00:30:36.922 Contemporary reactions make the story come alive. Renovations. 00:30:37.762 --> 00:30:43.582 No. Oh! Yeah. Wow. Yeah. I thought you needed another one of those where you... 00:30:43.582 --> 00:30:45.562 No, I read that right. I stopped. 00:30:46.342 --> 00:30:51.242 So, the porticos that were built during the 1820s and 1830s. 00:30:51.662 --> 00:30:55.042 People saw these as dignifying the house. 00:30:55.322 --> 00:30:58.942 Grand stairs in classical language befitting a young republic. 00:30:58.942 --> 00:31:04.182 An aesthetic edition approved without our modern preservation apparatus. 00:31:05.382 --> 00:31:10.322 Teddy Roosevelt's 1902 overhaul. Newspapers lament the loss of the greenhouses 00:31:10.322 --> 00:31:14.242 and the stripping of Victorian interiors. 00:31:14.522 --> 00:31:19.642 Supporters praise the rational plan and space for modern presidency. 00:31:20.162 --> 00:31:22.082 Congress, by funding... 00:31:24.123 --> 00:31:27.343 Validates the change. Truman Balcony. 00:31:28.243 --> 00:31:32.163 1948, right? Find how arts commissioners object. 00:31:32.683 --> 00:31:37.903 Cartoonists mock. Because that's what cartoonists do. Or today's version of 00:31:37.903 --> 00:31:39.223 that would be the late night shows. 00:31:40.603 --> 00:31:43.943 Before they get forced off the air by government interference. 00:31:44.403 --> 00:31:49.883 Truman barrels ahead and pays for it from household funds, which is a little 00:31:49.883 --> 00:31:55.663 shady, but apparently we look the other way. Once we decided after construction, 00:31:56.103 --> 00:31:59.243 many critics conceded that it improved the facade. 00:32:00.643 --> 00:32:04.763 By we, I mean like the American people that were alive then, not me. 00:32:05.843 --> 00:32:09.363 Truman's reconstruction beyond the balcony. 00:32:09.783 --> 00:32:16.123 Some mourn the old interior. Most accept necessity after structural failures 00:32:16.123 --> 00:32:17.663 make the building unsafe. 00:32:18.123 --> 00:32:20.543 You have to keep it to safety standards. 00:32:21.103 --> 00:32:25.563 I realized, like, during the 1930s and 40s, we were a little preoccupied, 00:32:25.783 --> 00:32:30.463 you know, with the Great Depression and World War II. Yeah, just a little bit. Just a little bit. 00:32:30.783 --> 00:32:36.723 By the end, the residence is a modern frame with historical finishes layered back in. 00:32:37.243 --> 00:32:41.263 Kind of a nice little compromise that most people, I think, once they got over 00:32:41.263 --> 00:32:45.463 the it's changing aspect because people hate change, they were okay with. 00:32:46.593 --> 00:32:53.973 Kennedy Restoration, 1961-63, TV special turns the country into

connoisseurs overnight. 00:32:54.373 --> 00:33:01.553 Because Jacqueline Kennedy was brilliant and invited the TV cameras in to show 00:33:01.553 --> 00:33:05.193 everyone that was in black and white, but to show everyone what she did. 00:33:05.593 --> 00:33:11.353 And people were so mesmerized by Jackie Kennedy and the whole Camelot thing. 00:33:11.433 --> 00:33:16.213 And I do believe Jack Kennedy makes an appearance that it's good PR. 00:33:16.213 --> 00:33:18.493 She wins them over with good PR, you know. 00:33:19.653 --> 00:33:22.973 Congress and an executive order lock in museum stewardship. 00:33:24.053 --> 00:33:28.633 Private donors become heroes of heritage during this era. 00:33:30.433 --> 00:33:34.853 Security fence. Tourists complain about photos because they can no longer get 00:33:34.853 --> 00:33:37.213 their good photos. And you do go to Washington, D.C. 00:33:37.393 --> 00:33:41.633 And one of the places you want to see as a tourist is White House. I get it. Not anymore. 00:33:42.974 --> 00:33:47.574 Neighbors and officials focus on intrusions and evolving threats. 00:33:47.934 --> 00:33:51.574 The new 13-foot fence is a visible compromise. 00:33:52.174 --> 00:33:56.894 Safety versus openness. Because remember, back in the 1800s, 00:33:56.994 --> 00:33:59.214 like, you could just walk into the White House. 00:33:59.514 --> 00:34:04.774 Yeah. Especially pre-Civil War. You could just walk in. Anybody. 00:34:05.534 --> 00:34:07.034 Fence doesn't even need it. 00:34:08.414 --> 00:34:14.374 Situation Room 2023. Inside baseball to most Americans, but national security 00:34:14.374 --> 00:34:16.114 pros celebrate the upgrade. 00:34:16.834 --> 00:34:21.754 Media tours showcase wood paneling and tech, a blend of tradition and capability. 00:34:22.514 --> 00:34:24.914 And then we have the Trump Ballroom 2025. 00:34:25.674 --> 00:34:30.554 Architects, preservation groups, a lot of normal people in the street, 00:34:30.714 --> 00:34:35.394 and formal officials question the process and impact. Two-thirds of all Americans, 00:34:35.414 --> 00:34:36.334 according to Yahoo today. 00:34:36.714 --> 00:34:42.694 There we go. The White House tout private funding, which I hope we get a list 00:34:42.694 --> 00:34:46.574 of everybody who donated and how much and what their companies are. 00:34:46.674 --> 00:34:48.114 I know what list I'd rather get, though. 00:34:48.334 --> 00:34:52.514 Yes, we all want that one, too. Can we have both, though? What if they're the same list? 00:34:53.114 --> 00:34:54.834 They probably are very similar. 00:34:55.914 --> 00:35:01.154 Capacity for statecraft and modernization. The demolition of the East Wing completed 00:35:01.154 --> 00:35:03.374 in days. I don't even know if it took days. 00:35:03.654 --> 00:35:06.174 It was like maybe two. Yeah, it took like two days. Yeah. 00:35:07.244 --> 00:35:10.064 And then people were encouraged to not take pictures so people didn't know about 00:35:10.064 --> 00:35:13.384 it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that's not shady at all. 00:35:13.924 --> 00:35:18.324 Makes it the most polarizing change in generations. Because literally, 00:35:18.324 --> 00:35:24.284 I don't know how many people are still alive that were there for, 00:35:24.584 --> 00:35:26.564 well, definitely not Truman's renovation. 00:35:26.844 --> 00:35:29.944 There can't be that many. I'm not saying there isn't at all. 00:35:30.204 --> 00:35:36.664 But it's a small population of early boomers and World War II generation people. 00:35:37.264 --> 00:35:42.604 There's not that many of them left. No, like my parents are boomers, and they are 74 and 71. 00:35:42.984 --> 00:35:48.464 And they were born in the early 50s. Wow. So, I mean, yeah. 00:35:50.464 --> 00:35:55.884 Every generation gets the White House it argues for. You can draw three overlapping buckets. 00:35:56.504 --> 00:36:01.884 Modernization enhances functionality without obviously altering the icon. 00:36:02.704 --> 00:36:06.604 Those would be the West Wing expansions of 1909 and the 19... 00:36:07.384 --> 00:36:10.144 40s, I think that's actually what that's supposed to say. 00:36:10.424 --> 00:36:16.624 The third floor living space in 1927, HVAC, because we do need air conditioning. I mean, come on. 00:36:17.364 --> 00:36:21.784 And wiring overhauls, IT refreshes. They get funded, they get done. 00:36:21.784 --> 00:36:25.764 And unless you're a staffer or a curator, you might not even notice. 00:36:25.984 --> 00:36:30.784 They're not changing, well, the third floor is, but they're not changing like 00:36:30.784 --> 00:36:34.024 the foundational footprint of the White House. 00:36:34.844 --> 00:36:38.584 Security projects, you've got the fencing, the situation upgrades, 00:36:38.864 --> 00:36:43.524 PEOC work, are justified by threat environment. I mean, that's just the modern world we live in. 00:36:43.804 --> 00:36:48.344 These often involve multiple agencies and clear public safety rationales, 00:36:48.384 --> 00:36:50.584 even if they dent aesthetics or access. 00:36:51.968 --> 00:36:57.608 Controversy tends to attach to visible symbolic changes like tearing down an 00:36:57.608 --> 00:37:03.048 entire wing, the removal of other beloved features, Teddy Roosevelt versus the greenhouses, 00:37:03.608 --> 00:37:08.968 additions that alter the facades, the Truman Balcony, or significant new construction, 00:37:09.468 --> 00:37:16.308 the ballroom, that reframes the historic landscape or short-circuit's customary review. 00:37:16.668 --> 00:37:22.788 The more the change reads as personal taste or power, the louder the reaction. 00:37:23.008 --> 00:37:27.648 And I don't know if we have mentioned this. Of course, FDR had his swimming pool. 00:37:28.068 --> 00:37:31.748 Yeah, you didn't mention that yet. Yes. I don't know why not, 00:37:31.848 --> 00:37:35.888 but he did have his pool. It was a way for him to get exercise. 00:37:36.788 --> 00:37:42.048 It is where I believe the media is housed now.

00:37:42.288 --> 00:37:44.968 It is no longer there. It's been paved over. I mean, It's there. 00:37:45.128 --> 00:37:46.488 It's in the press room now. Yeah. 00:37:47.168 --> 00:37:52.528 I know Obama turned the tennis courts into a basketball court. 00:37:53.148 --> 00:37:59.608 I think that involved literally painting different lines and putting up a removable basketball hoop. 00:38:00.368 --> 00:38:05.088 Not huge structural changes. I mean, the pool is a structural change. 00:38:05.508 --> 00:38:12.968 But, like, this was done before any of the modern, like, checks and balances 00:38:12.968 --> 00:38:14.148 when it comes to construction. 00:38:14.528 --> 00:38:18.268 Well, the pool wasn't actually in the residence anyway. No, it wasn't. 00:38:18.488 --> 00:38:20.428 And it was there until Nixon. 00:38:21.228 --> 00:38:25.148 Nixon's the one who paved over and made it the press secretary. 00:38:25.508 --> 00:38:28.328 Or the big press room. Big press room, yeah. 00:38:28.848 --> 00:38:33.768 So, like, some of those smaller things have definitely been controversial, is my point. 00:38:36.187 --> 00:38:40.507 Not quite as big as some of the other ones we talked about. Go ahead. 00:38:40.867 --> 00:38:42.487 And money sources matter. 00:38:42.847 --> 00:38:45.347 Private donors buying a SETI for the Red Room? Fine. 00:38:45.767 --> 00:38:49.787 Private donors funding a 90,000-square-foot structure that demolishes an entire wing? 00:38:50.247 --> 00:38:55.467 That's a constitutional violation, even if his lawyers say it's allowed. 00:38:56.007 --> 00:39:00.847 Or a possible constitutional question, at least. 00:39:01.347 --> 00:39:05.127 At least we should be questioning it. There's nothing wrong with questioning 00:39:05.127 --> 00:39:08.507 your government. that we should be doing that no matter who's in office. 00:39:08.507 --> 00:39:10.307 The Constitution is just a paper. 00:39:13.060 --> 00:39:16.720 Three big through lines to end on. Continuity through change. 00:39:16.860 --> 00:39:19.320 The White House has continually been remade. 00:39:19.740 --> 00:39:23.400 Porticles added gravitas. Teddy Roosevelt made it workable. 00:39:24.720 --> 00:39:29.780 Truman made it safer. Kennedy made it a museum. Security projects kept it viable. 00:39:30.220 --> 00:39:35.700 Now a ballroom bids to make it grander or bigger, depending on your view. 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:37.760 The process is part of preservation. 00:39:38.080 --> 00:39:42.980 Since the 1960s, committees, commissions, and laws have kept the show from becoming 00:39:42.980 --> 00:39:45.840 a personal vanity project. 00:39:46.740 --> 00:39:52.060 The current ballroom saga tests these guardrails. What's required, 00:39:52.280 --> 00:39:54.700 what's customary, what's enforceable. 00:39:55.240 --> 00:40:00.640 Public meaning. The house is a private home, an office, a museum, 00:40:00.920 --> 00:40:05.100 a military node, and a park, and a business. 00:40:05.560 --> 00:40:10.420 Essentially, like the business of the American people. Government It's not just private. 00:40:10.860 --> 00:40:15.880 Every change balanced these identities. When something as visible as the East 00:40:15.880 --> 00:40:21.840 Wing goes down, Americans rightly ask who decided, who paid, and what did we lose? 00:40:22.200 --> 00:40:25.880 The answer ripple through how we think about power and heritage. 00:40:26.640 --> 00:40:32.120 You can't stop change. Like, you're not progress, I mean. Can't stop progress. 00:40:33.640 --> 00:40:39.440 But it is our responsibility as Americans to question our government officials 00:40:39.440 --> 00:40:42.180 and to demand answers. They work for us. 00:40:42.720 --> 00:40:46.020 So that is well within our rights. 00:40:46.820 --> 00:40:51.460 Also, let's be honest. In 50 years after the next nuclear war, 00:40:52.460 --> 00:40:56.540 tourists may line up under a chandelier and say, can you believe this was once controversial? 00:40:57.020 --> 00:40:59.960 Then the next president will want to turn it into a pickleball arena. 00:41:00.080 --> 00:41:04.400 And we'll do this all again. Please, no pickleball in the staterooms. 00:41:05.877 --> 00:41:09.477 Pickleball anywhere right that's our 00:41:09.477 --> 00:41:12.377 exist until like a year ago now when i 00:41:12.377 --> 00:41:15.097 worked at the ymca they had okay and that was like over a 00:41:15.097 --> 00:41:21.517 decade ago five years so yeah let's turn down a mcdonald's the most pop the 00:41:21.517 --> 00:41:25.557 most popular one in the city of erie to make a pickleball court just just to 00:41:25.557 --> 00:41:30.557 keep the homeless people out oh my gosh yeah so every president has come in 00:41:30.557 --> 00:41:33.757 and put some changes to the White House. That is normal. 00:41:33.997 --> 00:41:38.717 It's just to what degree are they allowed to do it and what degree should the 00:41:38.717 --> 00:41:40.337 public become involved in it? 00:41:40.977 --> 00:41:44.997 And what degree should Congress have a say in it? Like, that's all important. 00:41:45.657 --> 00:41:49.857 That's our tour of the White House. You can't see on the map the structural, 00:41:50.157 --> 00:41:53.937 political, and symbolic renovation that made and remade it. 00:41:54.617 --> 00:41:58.457 I don't actually have any of that, but that's okay. If you let us rate and review 00:41:58.457 --> 00:42:02.897 time tellers and tell us what landmark we should renovate with history next. I'm Renee. 00:42:03.377 --> 00:42:06.497 And I'm Dan. Thanks for listening. Bye.