The Year ‘Magatecture’ consumed the White House |
All the changes to the White House over the past year read like a reality TV drama. Clashes with architects. A lawsuit over the East Wing demolition. Paving over the beloved Rose Garden and turning it into an exclusive club. President Trump’s promise (or was it a threat?) to make federal buildings beautiful again primarily played out at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Now it has become the prime exemplar of “Magatecture,” whose aesthetic expression revolves around three key traits: Make it big, make it gold, and make it monetizable.
It is tradition for presidents to redecorate the White House—the Oval Office and first family’s private quarters typically get a refresh with each incoming administration—but for the most part, they serve as stewards of a public building.
The White House of modern memory is largely the result of Jackie Kennedy’s belief that it should be a living museum furnished with the finest American art, furniture, and decorative objects. In fact, the executive mansion hasn’t seen such dramatic structural change since Harry Truman had it rebuilt in the 1940s when it was on the verge of collapse.
What separates the renovations happening today from the ones of the past is just how slapdash they are. Trump seems keen on making his mark with little regard for design integrity—taping up a paper sign with “Oval Office” printed in gold Shelly Script, affixing gaudy gilded appliqués on just about any empty surface, and releasing error-laden digital renderings of the new ballroom with stairs leading to nowhere and misaligned windows.
Ranking near the top of the downgrades is the refurbished Lincoln Bathroom, once a subtly art deco interior with seafoam green tile........