A newspaper writer complains about changes to the White House. So does another. What’s their beef? In a nutshell, they’re saying, Stop messing with the White House! You’re interfering with history! Why redo the White House when the United States has other, more important problems?

And this didn’t happen just last week. Or even just last year. It happened in 1970. It happened in 1830 too. Every U.S. president puts a personal stamp on the White House. Usually, someone gets upset about the changes.

Changes over the Years

The White House Historical Association keeps track of changes to the White House . . . and of how people react. Here’s some data these workers collected.

• President Thomas Jefferson added covered walkways. Congress, the media, and the public all said, “Too fancy!” Yes, the walkways were expensive. But President Jefferson believed them useful and beautiful.
• President Andrew Jackson built the North Portico. That’s the formal entryway to the White House. During construction, Americans said the United States needed the money for more important matters.
• President Theodore Roosevelt tore down greenhouses. In their place, he built the West Wing. People complained. They said he picked usefulness when he should have chosen charm.
• President Franklin Roosevelt made the East Wing bigger. He added an indoor swimming pool. (President Roosevelt’s legs were paralyzed from a terrible disease called polio. The pool was supposed to be for physical therapy.) He also added a movie theater. Folks called the construction wasteful and self-serving.
• President Richard Nixon got rid of the pool. He replaced it with a press briefing room. (That’s a room where the president or his press secretary talks to journalists.) People cried, “Unnecessary!”