Melania Trump renovating White House Rose Garden with nod to original Kennedy administration design
Renovation will be funded by private donations
First lady Melania Trump is overseeing a redesign of the White House Rose Garden to restore it to its original 1962 blueprint dating back to the Kennedy administration.
“The very act of planting a garden involves hard work and hope in the possibility of a bright future,” she said in a statement. “Preserving the history and beauty of the White House and its grounds is a testament to our nation’s commitment to the care of this landscape and our dedication to American ideals, safeguarding them for our children and their children for generations to come.”
MELANIA TRUMP TURNS 50 IN CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE
The Rose Garden is an "iconic" location where presidents host events and even press briefings, the first lady's team said. The renovation will include "improved Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, utilities, and support for audiovisual and broadcasting needs that will allow for the continued enjoyment of the garden’s natural beauty," her team said.
SEE PHOTOS:
US first lady Melania Trump announces her "Be Best" children's initiative in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, May 7, 2018. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
The project is expected to employ more than 100 people.
The renovation will be funded by private donations and assisted by the National Park Service. Landscape architecture firms Perry Guillot Inc and Oehme, van Sweden & Associates/OvS created the design plan. The first lady's team described the plan as a "renewal" of the original blueprint by horticulturist Bunny Mellon, who died in 2014.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
"I am confident her choices will be both elegant, restrained and beautiful. This is a first lady that does value style," Jill Brooke of Flower Power Daily told FOX Business. "The rose is our national flower, and yet the most incredible rose garden is now in Portland, Oregon. Why shouldn't it be in Washington, D.C?"
The International Rose Test Garden in Portland draws visitors from around the world.
Many Americans have seen the Rose Garden on their television screens lately as the White House hosts some press briefings there.
"Everybody’s been saying, 'Where are the roses?'" Brooke said, adding that the garden seemed to have fallen into "disarray."
The announcement comes a day before what would have been former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' 91st birthday.
Click here to read the full White House Rose Garden landscape report.