White House columns to go? Nearly 200-year-old structures could soon be chucked

Donald Trump might be fighting a war with Iran, but he is also apparently busy planning the next innovation he would like to bring to the White House. According to Rodney Mims Cook Jr, the head of the Commission of Fine Arts, the columns outside the presidential home might soon go away. He told the Washington Post that the Ionic columns at the main entrance of the White House will be replaced with those in the Corinthian style. These columns are more ornate, and the president loves them, Cook told the outlet. Corinthian columns also adorn two other most recognisable buildings in Washington - The Capitol and the Supreme Court. The columns belong to Greek architecture and are considered its most luxurious offering. In fact, several of Trump's own buildings also have the Corinthian columns. The current columns along the White House’s North Portico have been standing tall since 1830. The White House has not officially said anything about replacing the columns.

Trump appointed Cook as the head of the Commission of Fine Arts in October 2025. The department is responsible for advising the president on design, style and aesthetics. "Corinthian is the highest order [of column], and that’s what our other two branches of government have," Cook said. He even expressed shock at the original decision of not having them in the first place. "Why the White House didn’t originally use them, at least on the north front, which is considered the front door, is beyond me," he said. But experts don't think the Corinthian is appropriate for a structure like the White House. Steven Semes, a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Notre Dame and an expert in classical architecture, told WaPo, "The Corinthian would be inappropriate for the Executive Residence."

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He added that Ionic columns represent "the character of dignity, grace and a kind of intimacy or domesticity," and suit White House well since it is considered the "People's House". On the other hand, Corinthians are "used to express the height of formality and monumentality". Cook and others were appointed to the commission after all six previous members were fired. The White House said the new team was better suited to Trump's taste. The building is already undergoing major renovations as Trump is building a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. While the president said in July after signing an order that the addition would not affect the existing building, the entire two-story East Wing of the White House, built in 1902, has vanished.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued Trump over the ballroom, saying the required permissions and authorisations were not taken from Congress. Trump also has plans to build a 250-foot arch and revamp ​the Kennedy Centre.