Mrs. Trump Restores Class and Beauty to the ‘People’s House’ in Washington DC, Tennis Pavilion Completed

Mrs. Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, proudly announced the completion of a beautiful Pavilion at the Tennis Courts on the White House grounds on Monday, which replaces a run down and messy area, restoring dignity to another forgotten zone.  

The Tennis Court Pavilion is a part of a wider restoration by the First Lady:

TENNIS PAVILION 

History continues to unfold at the @WhiteHouse & I am pleased to announce the completion of the tennis pavilion. Preserving this historic landmark is vital & I want to thank all who helped complete this project. pic.twitter.com/8NAjbYViS0

— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 7, 2020

ART GARDEN

ROSE GARDEN

According to the White House press release about the Tennis Pavilion:

First Lady Melania Trump is pleased to announce the completion of the new White House tennis pavilion. The project included the refurbishment of the White House Tennis Court and Grandchildren’s Garden and the construction of the new building.

Planning for the project began in early 2018.  In June of 2019, the project was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission.   The building and landscape were planned to blend  with the existing structures on the White House grounds.

Design of the structure was inspired by the existing architecture of the White House, in particular the East and West Wings.  Elements such as the colonnade, parapet wall, and fanlight windows tie the new building to the existing look and feel of the White House.

“I am pleased to announce the completion of the Tennis Pavilion on the White House grounds. Thank you to all of the talented craftsmen who made this project possible and to the generous supporters of the White House,” said First Lady Melania Trump. “It is my hope that this private space will function as both a  place of leisure and  gathering for future First Families.”

Construction of the building was in partnership with the Trust for the National Mall, and the National Park Service.  The new building was funded by private donations.

The First Lady was personally involved with oversight:

Architectural Digest reported on the new building:

There was no architect officially cited in the creation of this 1,200-square-foot project, which Mrs. Trump tweeted about in March. However, the committee is thought to have likely included architects Perry Guillot and White House decorator Tham Kannalikham overseeing the National Park Service. 

The pavilion draws clear inspiration from classical Greco-Roman architecture—something that the Trump administration has been a vocal if controversial advocate for. Its fanlight floor-to-ceiling windows and four stately Doric columns naturally tie in to the nearby neoclassical architecture of the East and West Wings of the White House. 

In keeping with the sandstone used on the White House façade (which was later whitewashed in 1789 by Scottish stonemasons to protect the building), the new tennis pavilion also includes white limestone cladding. The elevated pavilion also gives the building a more professional and aesthetically pleasing appearance for the National Park Service, which originally submitted a proposal for a new building in June 2019. That same year, a National Capital Planning Commission filing described the White House tennis pavilion briefly as having a copper-tin roof.  

Kari Donovan

Kari is an ex-Community Organizer who writes about Voter Engagement, Cultural Marxism and Campaigns. She has been a grassroots volunteer with the GOP, on and off for 18 years. She is a Homeschool Mom in North Carolina and loves Photojournalism and Citizen Journalism. @Saorsa1776