The White House Rose Garden Lawn Is Officially Gone: See the Latest Pics of Donald and Melania’s Concrete Redesign

The White House Rose Garden—once a lush, historic green space—is now nearly unrecognizable, with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump replacing much of the grass with concrete as part of an ongoing “restoration” project.

Photos taken July 22 reveal that the iconic lawn, originally installed in 1961 at President John F. Kennedy’s request, has been largely paved over. The redesign, underway since early June, appears to transform the traditional garden into a formal patio-like setting.

In a March interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Trump explained the reasoning: “We use [the Rose Garden] for press conferences, and it doesn’t work because people fall. The soft ground can be wet—especially for women in high heels—it just didn’t work.”

A White House official described the project as a continuation of Melania Trump’s 2020 renovation, saying it aims to improve functionality and aesthetics for official events. “This restoration preserves the beauty of the space and builds on the work done in 2020,” the official told PEOPLE, emphasizing improvements to guest experience and practical use.

Melania’s original redesign was met with backlash, particularly over her removal of colorful flower beds and addition of a stark limestone border. NBC News presidential historian Michael Beschloss at the time called it the “evisceration” of decades of American history—a claim Melania’s office strongly rejected. “The Rose Garden is graced with a healthy & colorful blossoming of roses,” her team countered in a post on X, accusing Beschloss of spreading “misleading” and “dishonorable” commentary.

Despite the controversy, the 2020 redesign aimed to improve drainage and sunlight for the garden’s roses, which had struggled for years. Only a dozen original bushes remained before Melania oversaw the planting of 200 new ones.

The current renovation—overseen by the National Park Service and funded by the Trust for the National Mall—is expected to be completed by mid-August.

The revamped Rose Garden is just one of several high-profile changes Trump has made to the White House this year. Reports surfaced in April that Trump brought in cabinetmaker John Icart—nicknamed his “gold guy”—to install gilded accents across the Oval Office, echoing the opulence of Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago.

As the concrete is laid in the Rose Garden, critics argue the redesign strips away both the symbolism and serenity of a space that has hosted decades of presidential diplomacy and tradition. Supporters say it reflects a more practical, modernized vision for the space.

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