smaller government?

Is this what they meant?

I wonder what they're doing with all those windows...

I don't think anything is being salvaged, just destroyed.
Quite symbolic from my point of view.

inside...

some history...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Wing
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/photos-white-house-starts-east-wing-demolition-to-build-trumps-ballroom

Christopher Weeks wrote:I wonder what they're doing with all those windows...

My cousin ran a salvage business for years...beautiful things carefully removed and stored. Folks bought flooring, windows etc...all kinds of reuse materials....and stained glass, sometimes furniture, weather vanes...a really lucrative business.

Somebody missed a lucrative opportunity apart from anything else - windows reclaimed from the White House would be worth 10x any other reclaimed window, let alone the other fittings.

Christopher Weeks wrote:I wonder what they're doing with all those windows...

Commercial projects across the US typically consists of 2 sets of documents. The construction drawings and the project manual. Both of these are subject to modifications as the projects bids and gets underway. These modifications are called addendums. For a reference, a typical new construction school will have 300 ish pages of drawings and 600 ish pages of project manual.

The construction drawings consist of all the plans including site work, demo, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, etc. The project manual is broken into sections. One section is the "Demo section".

In the demo section, it'll specify if the demolished material becomes property of the demo contractor. If it does become the contractor's property, materials may be salvaged and resold or reused. If the material remains the owners property, you break the contract if anything is salvaged. Breaking a contact can result in a business ending lawsuit.

I would bet that the government retained ownership of the demolished materials and they must be disposed of in a manner that would not make them salvageable.

Also, there are not many contractors willing to go to the trouble of salvaging materials for resale due to the labor cost and logistics of reselling on these large commercial projects. Typically, the lowest bidder is selected.

"This isn’t his house. It’s our house—just as our money isn’t his money, and our army isn’t his army. He is just another citizen. He is not a king. This is not a palace to be remade or destroyed on his whims."

Elliot Kirschner
Filmmaker, writer, and optimist.

Jackson Magnolia wrote:I would bet that the government retained ownership of the demolished materials and they must be disposed of in a manner that would not make them salvageable.

Bummer for the lost history and opportunity, if true.

Also, there are not many contractors willing to go to the trouble of salvaging materials for resale due to the labor cost and logistics of reselling on these large commercial projects. Typically, the lowest bidder is selected.

I'm sure that's quite sensible for normal random materials but it seems like there could be a business marketing these particular materials.

Christopher Weeks wrote:

Jackson Magnolia wrote:I would bet that the government retained ownership of the demolished materials and they must be disposed of in a manner that would not make them salvageable.

Bummer for the lost history and opportunity, if true.

Also, there are not many contractors willing to go to the trouble of salvaging materials for resale due to the labor cost and logistics of reselling on these large commercial projects. Typically, the lowest bidder is selected.

I'm sure that's quite sensible for normal random materials but it seems like there could be a business marketing these particular materials.

I tried to find some public facing documents. I could not find any. Maybe with a FOIA request but I imagine they would be redacted due to security measures and such. I also imagine the bid process required security clearances or well written NDA's and may not ever reveal too much public info.

After reading through the history of white house renovations, I don't really have feelings one way or another. I would just hope that future administrations benefit from this project and it is used to bring people together.

Many of the other renovations, such as adding a pool, putting green, bowling lanes, tennis court, basketball court, boxing ring, seem to be more limited in nature and could not be used for large public events.

Fortunately, we have another 1183 days to see how it plays out.

some more history, renovations, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House

That is absolutely ridiculous.

Anyway, isn’t he planning to make the “government” a lot larger with the new construction? Maybe there’s a metaphor in it. Throw a bone to those who want a smaller government by smashing pre-existing things while doing some planning of his own amidst the rubble.

There is always a lesson to be found in things like this. Maybe it’s that the world is changing and many of the old ways are no longer safe and we need to have something nurturing, some ground-up stability to take refuge for when/if these things come toppling, or overstep their bounds. Or maybe, not a lesson per se but a metaphor—this is the sort of thing happening right now.

I always did think a system headed by one person is vulnerable to moving in oscillations. But on the other hand it’s balanced somewhat with Congress/court, the three centers of power which help a little to stabilize things. Some things don’t change and that is also telling.

M Ljin wrote:There is always a lesson to be found in things like this

In the UK it is likely that a building like this would have protection under law. Historic buildings may be 'listed' in various categories giving the building some protection from development. Depending on the building's importance this may only affect the external appearance, but can include internal features as well in the more important categories. Do you not have anything similar in the US?
Buildings affected are not just municipal buildings, but can include industrial sites, chuches and peoples' homes.


One of the more modern buildings now with listed status (source)


and these colliery buildings in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, which date from the 19th century, are also listed

Nancy Reading wrote:In the UK it is likely that a building like this would have protection under law. … Do you not have anything similar in the US?

I’m working to avoid exposure to stimuli that cause outrage so I haven’t looked deeply into the details, but yes, we have laws like that too.

Yes there are laws.
At the moment, this regime in the US is not following them for much of anything.

Several news sources are questioning if precautions were taken in the east wing demolition.
I would love to know that safety came first and asbestos and lead paint and any other toxins were removed before the destruction?  

https://newrepublic.com/post/202472/trump-white-house-ballroom-destruction-asbestos

Red flags have been raised over asbestos and other potential health and safety risks during President Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing.

Federal law requires comprehensive asbestos inspection, notification, and abatement before any demolition,” the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization wrote in a press release last week. “No publicly available information demonstrates that these statutory obligations have been fulfilled.”
"The demolition of a structure of the age and historic national significance of the East Wing demands the highest possible standards of care, not the lowest bid and a blind eye toward regulation,”

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey described similar concerns in a letter Thursday to the firm carrying out the demolition, ACECO of Maryland. wrote, according to ABC News and The Washington Post. “Construction workers on the East Wing site, nearby office workers and tourists, and passersby could now be at heightened risk of developing lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma from the inhalation of demolition dust.”

There is no safe level of asbestos exposure, and the fibers can stay in the air for days.