OPINION:
President Trump will do a great job building a new East Wing to the White House, complete with an elegant ballroom to welcome more people for state dinners and other affairs.
I know this because the last time he knocked down pillars and walls in Washington, his work produced one of the most stunning hotels on the grand boulevard named Pennsylvania Avenue.
Yes, Mr. Trump demolished the wing. Still, President Truman gutted the White House from 1948 to 1952, with its historical halls and rooms, to erect a better home. History shows Mr. Trump will do the same.
In 2012, the U.S. General Services Administration, the federal landlord, picked the Trump Organization to redevelop the stately but declining Old Post Office. Built in 1899, the clock-tower-bedecked building stands as a tribute to classic architecture — the era when American architects proudly designed and nourished structures so amazing that pedestrians to this day still stop and admire.
Woody Allen, in his classic 1986 movie “Hannah and Her Sisters,” creates a scene in which architect “David” takes “Holly” and “April” on a car tour of Manhattan’s buildings.
“You know, April, people pass by vital structures in this city all the time, and they never take the time to appreciate them,” David says.
If Mr. Allen shot a local movie today, the styles that took over Washington in the 1960s and 1970s, with their look of cemented urban prisons, undoubtedly wouldn’t make his tour list. Can you see David gushing over FBI headquarters? People don’t stop to admire that one. They cover their eyes.
David would swing by the 12-story Old Post Office and gush at its Romanesque style. That’s why it’s important to knock down and renovate with the classics in mind. Mr. Trump understood that.
“We are thrilled to move forward with our plans to transform one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks into the world’s finest hotel,” he said.
Over the next four years, the Trump Organization did just that. The facades stayed, as did the clock tower and observation perch that hovered high over Washington, beaten in height only by the Washington Monument. Benjamin Franklin stands at the entrance, as if he could hail you a cab.
The old interior offices and shops vanished in favor of 262 luxury hotel rooms, restaurants, a spacious lobby with towering atrium and, oh yes, the Donald Trump trademark: a ballroom.
Washington architect WDG described its work: “The greatest assets of the building are its iconic exterior facade, interior cortile, and soaring clock tower. The historic elements were meticulously preserved. … The 262 suites and penthouses are designed to be the most luxurious in the city.”
WDG said Mr. Trump’s elaborate $200 million conversion won two prestigious awards: the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Best Historic Renovation and the Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s Award of Excellence.
That’s great, but what did actual guests think once the place opened in September 2016 under the new brand, Trump International Hotel? My reading of online Tripadvisor.com reviews showed that a vast majority loved the place.
“Steward b” stayed that December. “What a beautiful renovation of a landmark D.C. … We loved our room and all the detail from the restored elevator to the feather beds.” “Lorie J” wrote in December 2019: “Trump did an excellent job of converting this national treasure to another treasure. The last time we visited the Old Post Office, the place was partially occupied by small stores and fast food offerings. Sad sight.”
Months later, Erich R. wrote: “The old DC historic post office has a new life … and what a reborn existence it is. The building on the outside is intricate and grand, with careful historic ornamentation and an incredible tower.”
Two months after Mr. Trump opened the hotel, he won election as president of the United States. Democrats soon latched onto the Old Post Office site as a new way to destroy Mr. Trump.
As Mr. Trump fended off the Democrats’ Russia hoax, they threw a new one at him: the emoluments hoax. They said that because foreigners stayed and dined in Mr. Trump’s lodging right down the street from the White House, he was violating the U.S. Constitution. They were joined by left-wing pressure groups and the Democratic attorneys general of the District of Columbia and Maryland.
A federal appeals court threw out the lawsuits in 2019.
“Word just out that I won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt,” the president posted on X. “Unanimous decision in my favor from The United States Court of Appeals For The Fourth Circuit on the ridiculous Emoluments Case.”
Abandoning the Democrats’ poisoning of New York City, Mr. Trump escaped to a new permanent residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
He and his business partner sons in 2022 sold the Old Post Office endeavor to a corporation that renamed the building the Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C.
“As a family, it has been an honor and a privilege to redevelop the Nation’s Old Post Office,” said Eric Trump. “We took a dilapidated and underutilized government building and transformed it into one of the most iconic hotels in the world.”
The Old Post Office shows that Mr. Trump will erect a classic yet modern East Wing perfectly matching the 1792 White House style and Truman’s extensive renovations.
• Rowan Scarborough is a columnist with The Washington Times.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.