A White House garden named for former first lady Jaqueline Kennedy is gone, People reported on Monday, January 26.
Kennedy launched the restoration of the East Garden when she became first lady in 1960, but it wasn’t finished until 1965, when her successor, Lady Bird Johnson, named it in her honor.
“For generations to come, the garden will add to the pleasure of those who occupy this home, and the thousands of Americans who walk down that walkway over there on their visit to the White House,” Johnson said at the formal dedication ceremony, per archival footage from CBS News.
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Six decades later, the entire area was razed as construction commenced for the East Wing modernization project, which was spearheaded by President Donald Trump. The centerpiece of the renovation is an 89,000-square-foot ballroom.
Caroline Kennedy’s son, Jack Schlossberg, criticized the demolition in an October Instagram post. “My grandmother saw America in full color — Trump sees black and white,” he wrote. “Where she planted flowers, he poured concrete.”
However, during a January 8 meeting with the National Capital Planning Commission, architect Shalom Baranes revealed renderings, shared by Bloomberg, which seem to show some green space near the new East Colonnade.
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A White House official confirmed that a garden is included in the renovation plans, People reported, though it is unclear if it will still be named after the former first lady, who passed away in 1994. The official also noted to the outlet that “the scope and size of the overall project” is subject to change, adding, “We will have more specifics to share as we go along.”
The ballroom is expected to be completed in 2028.
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