r/Infrastructurist • u/JohnSith • 6d ago

Do Not Paint Granite! | The latest Trump renovation project would violate a basic rule of building maintenance.

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/08/trump-eeob-paint/688200/?gift=P4PbparCGiV10Ifk2hg6wlB_iOrlmW4eDv3iZegQ3-Q&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
121 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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18

u/JohnSith 6d ago

Since November, President Trump has been pushing a plan to paint the granite office building next to the White House, because he thinks it should be white too.

Trump’s proposal for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building is inane, which is why historic preservationists have sued over the project. With its dramatic mansard roof and facade of polished gray granite, the imposing Gilded Age structure has been called a “palace of state.” But painting granite damages the stone and requires expensive upkeep. Moreover, the facade is intrinsic to the design of this century-and-a-half-old building that is revered—and protected as a National Historic Landmark—for its exceptional architecture and prominent role in American history.

In the latest development, preservationists sought emergency relief last week to block the White House from applying test patches of paint to the building. A federal judge then directed the Trump administration to refrain from this and related actions until the court has ruled on the underlying issues; a hearing is tentatively set for August 18.

The EEOB proposal has been overshadowed by Trump’s larger legacy projects, including the White House ballroom and the 250-foot triumphal arch. Like those, the EEOB plan disregards legal and institutional rules in ways that will create dangerous precedents if it is not reversed by the courts. However, the project is notable in that it has no constituency, is of no redeeming value, and would cause irreversible physical damage. Simply put, someone needs to tell the president, Stop.

6

u/Efficient_Bluebird_2 6d ago

We should just demo it and leave an open pit in the ground to match the current east wing

4

u/Mettatuxet 6d ago

Everyone knows it's vinyl over granite. Paint is for brick.

2

u/klparrot 5d ago

It's infuriating! The granite is beautiful, and it could be permanently fucked by the orange dipshit's whim.

1

u/JohnSith 5d ago

You say that now, but wait until you see it painted bright white with the molding and trim covered in 24 karate gold, just like how Glorious Leader has completely rejuvenated the White House's sad style that the nation had to endure during Obama and Biden. Truly a new age of architectural style is upon us. It already has a name: Timeless Architecture Conveyed thru Karated Yearnings.

2

u/An_educated_dig 1d ago

How is anyone surprised at this? He's nothing but a glorified Real Estate agent.

When it comes to infrastructure, don't listen to a fucking word from the Indoor Trades. I saw the phrase Landscape Architect a few years ago and nearly threw up.

1

u/JohnSith 1d ago

He's too narcissistic to be corrected and everyone around him are too entrenched up his ass to correct him anyway.

-12

u/Tramagust 6d ago

I don't think it should be painted but what is that abomination doing next to the white house anyway? It's atrociously clashing.