Overview
- Work to replace the West Colonnade’s decades‑old Tennessee flagstone with black granite is underway, with plastic coverings and construction activity visible along the walkway beside the Rose Garden.
- The White House confirmed the material change and said the National Park Service will take custody of the removed stones for safekeeping and possible future use.
- President Trump told reporters he is paying for the new paving, and a spokesman praised the effort as long‑overdue beautification.
- The granite will run beneath the “Presidential Walk of Fame,” a corridor of framed portraits that has seen revisions since last year, and the White House has not disclosed where the new stone is being sourced or when the work will finish.
- The upgrade is part of a wider remodeling drive that has included Rose Garden paving, new signage, room makeovers, and a planned $400 million ballroom, with coverage split between celebratory framing and scrutiny over transparency and symbolism.