President Trump has submitted plans to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building bright white, and the submission to the Commission of Fine Arts frames the slate gray structure as an eyesore in need of repair.
The Executive Office of the President included renderings showing the building fully painted white and an alternative that would leave the exposed basement and sub basements in their original granite finish, as reported by CBS News.
The submission argues that the building, completed in 1888 in a French Second Empire style, has suffered staining, abrasions and cracks from poor exterior maintenance and that painting the stone would be repeatable and address baseline color issues, according to materials sent to the commission.
CBS News reported the Commission of Fine Arts, a panel that advises on public architecture in Washington, will hear a presentation on the plan on April 16, and the document notes the building sits across a driveway from the West Wing and houses offices including the National Security Council and the Office of the Vice President.
Expert Findings Preservation Lawsuit And Alternatives
CNN reported that Trump has privately advocated using a so called magic paint with silicate, and that preservationist groups and a panel of experts warned the product may be incompatible with the building’s granite exterior.
The DC Preservation League and Cultural Heritage Partners filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia after the idea was floated in a Fox News interview last November, asking the court to halt changes until a standard review process occurs, as reported by CNN.
CNN said the preservationist groups assembled 25 unnamed experts who concluded mineral silicate paints are not suited for granite, that the paint would not chemically bond with the stone, that priming could cause permanent damage, and that painted surfaces could show staining more readily.
The preservationists offered alternatives in a slide deck shared with the administration, including a conservation grade cleaning program, refinishing ironwork, new lighting, window film to brighten the façade, and new landscaping, CNN reported.
US News reported the Commission of Fine Arts has been stocked with Trump loyalists during his second term, a point critics say could affect the review, while the White House materials framed the painting proposal as a maintenance response to long standing exterior deterioration.
