Former First Lady Melania Trump has come under fire this week for her controversial renovations of the White House grounds while in office. A prominent historian has slated her revamp of the presidential estate’s Rose Garden, which was carried out during her final year as FLOTUS. The remarks have ignited a row over the landscaping, which overhauled Jackie Kennedy’s original design from the early 1960s. Click or scroll on to find out more...  

Michael Beschloss, NBC’s presidential historian, took to Twitter on 7 August to bemoan Melania’s changes to the iconic garden, which are pictured here. He tweeted: “Evisceration of White House Rose Garden was completed a year ago this month, and here was the grim result—decades of American history made to disappear”. The tweet quickly went viral and it wasn’t long before the former First Lady hit back.

Prior to Melania’s alterations, the Rose Garden, captured here in 2008, featured a large flower bed of vibrant red and yellow blooms, lined with trees. She replaced these original features, which had been in situ since the 60s when Jackie Kennedy oversaw the design, with a paved walkway and icy white and pastel flowers. Carried out during the first wave of the pandemic, critics at the time branded the renovation as insensitive when it was unveiled in August 2020. 

In the newly ignited controversy, Melania hit back at Michael Beschloss’s criticism of her renovations to the grounds this week, taking to Twitter to share a picture of the garden in bloom, alongside a fiery rebuttal: “@BeschlossDC has proven his ignorance by showing a picture of the Rose Garden in its infancy. The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy & colorful blossoming of roses. His misleading information is dishonorable”.

Alongside her overhaul of the planting scheme, one of the former First Lady’s boldest additions to the Rose Garden was the Isamu Noguchi's Floor Frame sculpture, unveiled in November 2020. Bought by the White House Historical Association for $125,000 at a Sotheby's auction, it was gifted to become part of the residence's expansive art collection and sits at the east terrace. Melania tweeted: "The art piece is humble in scale, complements the authority of the Oval Office, & represents the important contributions of Asian American artists.” But that’s not the only way Melania left her mark on the presidential estate

Read on to discover how First Ladies throughout history have made the White House their own

In addition to the Rose Garden, Melania masterminded plenty of interior changes during her time in the White House, like the many First Ladies who came before her. The official residence and workplace of the president of the United States has gone through many dramatic facelifts over the years. Let’s take a look at how this iconic building has evolved, from the Kennedys opulent overhaul to the Trumps’ controversial tennis pavilion.

The White House got its first luxe makeover during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. By the time the seventh POTUS left office in 1837, his administration had spent $45,000, a huge sum of money, beautifying the interiors. Shown here is the East Room in 1837.

The White House was updated again in the late 1840s under President James K. Polk, who, together with First Lady Sarah Polk decorated what was then known as the Washington Parlor with rich crimson curtains, wallpaper and furnishings, creating the illustrious Red Room.

Lincoln's successor Andrew Johnson was granted $132,000 to overhaul the tired interiors, and President Ulysses S. Grant picked up where he left off, giving the White House an extravagant High Victorian Makeover. The refreshed East Room is shown here in 1873.

In 1882, President Chester Arthur added to the flashy Victoriana when he commissioned Louis Tiffany to redecorate the Red Room. Interestingly, this painting of how the room looked at the time depicts the view of the Potomac River, which is no longer visible from the White House.

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt hired architectural firm McKim, Mead & White to renovate the White House in keeping with its neo-classical aesthetic. Much of the ostentatious Victoriana was ripped out, including the Tiffany glass screen, as you can see from this image of the restored Entrance Hall from 1904.

The most radical transformation was reserved for the State Dining Room, which was expanded to accommodate 100 guests. The room was decorated with moose and elk heads, a move that was mocked in the media at the time.

The West Wing also came into being as a result of President Roosevelt's 1902 project. Office staff were moved from the second floor of the White House into the extension, which was originally intended as a temporary structure.

In 1909, President William Howard Taft added what is arguably the White House's most famous room, the Oval Office, opting for a green color scheme. Since then, every president has put his particular mark on the space.

A hugely complex reconstruction project was completed in 1952, but it wasn't without its critics, who included former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She described the remodeled interiors as “stark”. This image shows the reconstructed State Dining Room.

When Jacqueline Kennedy became First Lady in 1961, she made it her mission to recapture the historical character of the White House interiors. Working with top American and French interior designers, the cultured First Lady restored several spaces with impeccable taste, including the Blue Room.

While the Blue Room was decorated in a French Empire style, the opulent Red Room references a classic American Empire aesthetic. Exquisite antiques were placed in the room, including a sofa that once belonged to Dolley Madison and a French chandelier crafted in 1820.

The Green Room was adorned with gorgeous moss-green silk wallpaper and several pieces of antique furniture upholstered in white and cream, as well as a late 18th century Axminster carpet featuring a neo-classical design. Other spaces decorated by Mrs Kennedy include the Yellow Oval Room.

In 1962, the First Lady delighted the American public with a televised tour of the restored White House. The TV special, which was broadcast on Valentine's Day, was a ratings smash, garnering 80 million viewers, and went on to win an Emmy and Peabody Award.

First Lady Pat Nixon was just as passionate as Jacqueline Kennedy about preserving the historical character of the White House. She worked with curator Clement Conger to restore several rooms, improving on the work of her predecessor. This photo of the finished Green Room was taken in 1971.

Maintenance work was carried out during the Reagan and Bush Senior years, but no major renovations were undertaken. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton decorated several rooms and restored the Lincoln Sitting Room, which is shown here in the 1990s.

The Green Room, Cabinet Room and White House Theater were spruced up by First Lady Laura Bush in the early 2000s. A history buff, the First Lady redecorated the Lincoln Bedroom in suitably authentic style, plumping for fixtures and furniture typical of the 1860s.

In order to retain their historical integrity, First Lady Michelle Obama was careful not to alter the State Rooms too drastically and opted for a less is more approach when she tackled the State Dining Room in 2015. The softly sophisticated makeover cost $590,000.

From assuming office in January 2017, President Donald Trump spent $3.4 million “to bring back the luster and glory of the White House”, which he described as “a real dump” back in August 2017.

The 45th US president, who prefered to spend his leisure time at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida or his New Jersey golf club, didn't waste any time redecorating the Oval Office. The first thing he changed when he assumed office was the “stained” wallpaper, opting for a gray damask print.

The former POTUS re-instated the gold curtains used by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, swapped the mid-century modern furniture for Bush Junior's gold-hued sofas. He also brought back the golden rug designed by First Lady Nancy Reagan.

The Roosevelt Room had a Trump makeover, too. Displaying his penchant for all things shiny and gold, the one-time leader of the free world adorned the room with two imposing gilded eagles, snapped up from a Maryland antique shop.

Parts of the West Wing were also refreshed. The Lobby was given a corporate, business hotel feel – its neutral walls and gray patterned carpet wouldn't look out of place in one of the former president's hotels.

Trump's love of gold was especially apparent in April 2020 when he hosted the first state dinner of his presidency, a lavish affair in honor of President Emmanuel Macron of France. The gold and crème color scheme was selected by then First Lady Melania Trump.

During her time as First Lady, Melania Trump carried on the tradition of improving and refreshing the White House. On her penultimate day in the role, she posted a statement covering the changes and thanking the various White House officials – and private donors – who helped make her vision a reality. She said: “The projects that I have overseen during the last four years are ones which I believe will not only preserve the house’s heritage but enhance the experience of its beauty and solemnity for generations to come."

From replacing the faded wallpaper in the Red Room to freshening up the drapes in the Green Room, Melania worked with the White House curatorial team on a number of projects. “In 2018, we completed the first full renovation of the Queen’s Bathroom since the 1950s,” she said. "Our goal of updating and restoring 'The President’s Elevator', which is used by the First Family, visiting dignitaries, and White House staff, was accomplished in the same year." She also replaced the rug in the Diplomatic Room (pictured), adding a border of 50 flowers to represent each state.

But Melania’s plans for the White House went beyond the cosmetic – she wanted to make structural renovations and so turned her attention to some big-scale projects. "In 2019 we embarked on a several months-long restoration of the East Room floor, which brought to life the true magnificence of this historic space. This was done in tandem with work performed on the marble floors of the State Entrance and Hallway."

Melania Trump was also keen to restore the White House's very own basement bowling alley – a space dating back to the Nixon administration – which was drastically modernized in 1994 under the Clinton administration. The work was paid for by the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America and involved reinstating the original wooden lanes, updated the electrical wiring and some machinery and touching up the interior design.

As well as her controversial overhaul of the Rose Garden, Melania made other major changes to the White House grounds. From breaking ground in October 2019 to completion in 2020, the Tennis Pavilion was a passion project for Melania, who raised private donations to pay for the build. "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," she tweeted.

Before leaving the White House, Melania urged Jill Biden to carry on with a few of her pet projects. In her last official statement, she said: “The restoration and conservation of the priceless Zuber wallpaper in the Family Dining Room, perhaps the most ambitious project of the Administration, remains to be completed, and will be, I hope, admired by all who see its beauty.” 

Loved this? Like and follow us on Facebook to see more amazing buildings around the world