New temporary fencing surrounds much of the White House complex in advance of President Trump’s planned speech Thursday, when he will accept the Republican nomination. The new fences begin at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue continue south along the entire west side of the Ellipse, close off the Ellipse at Constitution Avenue, and continue up to 15th Street to Pennsylvania.
A U.S. Secret Service spokesperson tells Washingtonian the perimeter closures include “the entire Ellipse and its side panels, roadways and sidewalks, E Street and its sidewalks between 15th and 17ths Streets, First Division Monument and State Place, Sherman Park and Hamilton Place, Pennsylvania Avenue between 15th and 17th streets, and all of Lafayette Park.” The closures, the spokesperson says, have been made in coordination with the National Park Service in “an effort to maintain the necessary security measures and ensure public safety for scheduled events at the White House on Thursday, August 27.”
You can still see the White House from the south at Constitution Avenue and 16th Street, but the “Peoples’ House” is more than 1/3 of a mile away. One practical effect of much of the temporary fencing is to make sidewalks nearly impassable on 15th Street. Get ready to walk through lots of tree wells if you’re heading north on foot.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
