President Trump has complained that the historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which dates to the 1870s, is “ugly,” and he is pushing to have its granite exterior painted white so it better matches the White House next door.
On Tuesday, the federal panel considering the proposal considered the overwhelmingly negative feedback that poured in during a public comment period. It then asked the Trump administration to report back with more details about potential costs and maintenance.
The Eisenhower building is the latest of Mr. Trump’s projects to remake Washington in his own style. The structure was built for the State, War and Navy Departments between 1871 and 1888, and now houses hundreds of federal workers.
In an interview last November on Fox News, Mr. Trump displayed a rendering of the building painted in a stark white, and said, “Look at that, how beautiful that is with a coat of paint.”
“It was always considered an ugly building,” he complained of its appearance. He added that “gray is for funerals.”
The National Capital Planning Commission, which is tasked with voting to approve or reject the plan, wants answers on cost and whether the paint the president has selected would damage the building’s granite exterior.
The public comments have mostly opposed the plan.
“The thought of painting the beautiful granite facade of the E.E.O.B. is an absolute disgrace, and an absolute insult to all those who admire and work hard to preserve historic architecture,” wrote Margo Steinberg, the chair of the Marion Historical Commission in Marion, Mass. “Fifty years in the field of preservation, and I have never heard of such a stupid idea as this.”
Some letter writers have argued that it could hurt the building’s exterior to paint it, while others have said the move would require constant cleaning and repainting. Some have objected to the style of changes Mr. Trump has brought to the White House campus.
At the meeting on Thursday, Evan Cash, who represents the D.C. Council on the panel, said he wanted to hear more about costs, because “we’re adding essentially a very new, big maintenance piece to this.”
Mr. Trump wants the building to be painted white to better match the White House’s Executive Mansion and other structures on the campus, including his planned $400 million ballroom.
Ryan Erb, a construction operations project manager in the executive office of the president, said the administration’s preliminary cost estimate for the project, which also involves cleaning and masonry preservation measures, was around $7.5 million.
“We are planning to have about a 25-year life span for the paint,” Mr. Erb said. He added: “We are working with a third party vendor to do all the appropriate testing.”
But it was also clear from the comments at the meeting that, despite some questions, Mr. Trump’s appointees on the panel did not want to stand in the president’s way.
“No president, no administration has been more committed to the preservation of history, beautification and just making our cities more cleaner, nicer, more beautiful,” Paul Ingrassia, the acting general counsel of the General Services Administration, said of Mr. Trump. “So I know a lot of thought and a lot of preparation is going into these projects, and wherever the initiative may lead, I know that’s at the forefront of this administration’s priorities.”
