The White House adds a statue of George Washington to the Rose Garden
WASHINGTON — The White House this week added a large statue of George Washington to the Rose Garden at the specific request of President Donald Trump, according to a federal and White House official.
The National Park Service bronze statue was moved from the Washington Monument to its new location during the government shutdown.
The 1992 statue is a replica of the original white marble statue located in the Virginia State Capitol, according to a White House official. the Original marble statue Made by French artist Jean Antoine Houdon It is believed to be the only life mask made by Washington.
The bronze version was visible to the public until recently, with about 250,000 people visiting the Washington Monument each year. It was installed during a renovation in the late 1990s.
The sculpture is prepared for outdoor life and stands across from the reimagined Rose Garden courtyard.
The federal official said National Park Service rangers will monitor and treat the statue. Worryingly, exposure can change the colour, which is now a rich bronze. Oxidation can cause a change in the green patina. Experts say the Statue of Liberty was once the same color, but time and exposure produced its green exterior.
It is worth noting that the country’s first president never lived in the White House. Washington’s successor, John Adams, was the first resident as president.
The statue’s arrival comes after other modifications Trump made to the grounds, including installing a pair of flag poles and paving a patch of grass that he said, when wet, poses a problem for women wearing high heels.
“Their heels go straight through the grass, four inches deep,” Trump said during an interview. interview With scenes published in February.
A construction project to replace the East Wing with a ballroom was announced in July, which Trump estimated would cost about $200 million.
Last month, Trump told NBC News in an interview that the hall will be “a little larger” than initially planned and will hold 900 people instead of the 650 people the White House expected to host. July statement On the construction project.