2 min readPresident Trump’s redesign of the White House continues at a rapid pace. This week, he revealed he was replacing the Tennessee flagstone in the West Wing colonnade—the walkway that leads from the main part of the White House to the Oval Office and runs alongside the Rose Garden—with black granite.
“It’s a great contrast. The white, with the black,” Trump told reporters. “It’s a beautiful, black granite.” He added he was paying for the tiles for the new walkway, which now features his “Presidential Walk of Fame.” According to the New York Post, “The National Park Service will take possession of the current Tennessee flagstone pavers. The stones will be sent to a nursery where they will be kept for future use.”
“President Trump continues to implement long-overdue and necessary renovations to beautify the People’s House as we approach our great Nation’s 250th anniversary of independence,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “Thanks to the Builder-in-Chief, the White House will be properly glorified and remain in excellent condition for generations to come.” No further details were shared on the construction.
Construction continues on the White House Rose Garden and Colonnade.
In addition, a marble figure of Christopher Columbus was installed over the weekend in the courtyard of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located on the White House campus. “Christopher Columbus was the original American hero and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the Earth,” Trump wrote in a letter to the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), the Italian-American organization that gifted the statue. “I am truly honored that this magnificent statue will now sit on the grounds of the White House.”
The statue is a replica of one that was in Baltimore’s Little Italy until protestors toppled it in 2020.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.