The President of the United States Donald trump began construction of the wall not only on the US-Mexican border but also around his residence in Washington — the White House. The section of the fence along Pennsylvania Avenue, which offers the most famous and beloved by tourists’ view of this attraction, was closed with a solid white construction fence.

The residence of the American leader, however, is still visible from the street. For beauty, the fence is covered with white fabric, which contains some details of the project, as well as archival images of how the White House looked in previous eras.

According to the plans described on the website of the National Park Service, the current fence with a height of about 2 m should be replaced by a twice higher one. The new barrier, approximately 13 feet (almost 4 m) high, will be built using intruder detection technology and will be virtually impossible to climb.

Unauthorized entry

The US Secret service received permission to build a new wall around the perimeter of the White House from the relevant Federal authorities in 2017. The intention to make a higher fence at the Washington residence of the President appeared after a series of high-profile incidents involving unauthorized entry of strangers into the protected area of the complex on Pennsylvania Avenue, 1600.

Perhaps the most scandalous incident of this kind was the invasion directly into the White House on September 19, 2014, of an American citizen, a veteran of the armed forces Omar Gonzales. He managed not only to get over the fence of the White House and cross the lawn without hindrance but also to get inside the mansion.

Such incidents continue to recur. So, employees of the Secret service detained the man in an attempt to overcome a fence of the White House in the middle of June of this year. He was at once detained.

The fence was wooden

Construction work will be carried out gradually and will continue until 2021 inclusive. As a result, the current wall will be completely replaced. At the same time, some of its sections will be preserved for history and sent to the Museum. In general, the appearance of the new fence will not be much different from the existing one, not counting the height.

For more than two centuries of the existence of the White House (construction began in 1792), the shape and appearance of its fence have repeatedly changed. Thus, during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809), the fence was made of wooden poles. Then instead of it put a stone wall, which was later replaced by a metal fence. Historians believe that it was originally painted in dark green. In recent years, the fence is traditionally painted black.