WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials have unveiled plans for a massive underground security facility at the White House designed to streamline visitor processing as part of ongoing renovations to the presidential complex.
Blueprints and architectural drawings for the 33,000-square-foot subterranean center were disclosed Friday in preliminary documents for an upcoming April federal commission meeting that must approve construction projects on government property in the nation’s capital.
The proposed security facility would be constructed underneath Sherman Park, positioned to the southeast of the White House complex and immediately south of the Treasury Department building.
For years, Sherman Park served as the staging area where White House visitors and tour groups would queue for security processing before passing through temporary trailer-like screening stations and proceeding to the East Wing entrance. Last fall, President Donald Trump demolished the East Wing to make way for a new ballroom, forcing visitors to now gather near Lafayette Park on the opposite side of Pennsylvania Avenue.
The proposed underground facility would feature seven separate processing lanes designed to speed up security checks and minimize waiting periods for guests. According to project timelines, construction work could commence as soon as August, with the White House targeting a July 2028 operational date — approximately six months before the end of Trump’s presidential term.
Project documents indicate that the monument honoring Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, which stands at the heart of Sherman Park, would remain untouched during construction. The initiative represents a joint effort between the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Secret Service, and the National Park Service, which oversees White House grounds management.
The National Capital Planning Commission, the federal body responsible for reviewing government construction projects, has scheduled discussion of the proposal for its April 2 session, based on the preliminary meeting agenda distributed Friday.
Commission members will also consider and vote on the Republican president’s separate proposal to construct a 90,000-square-foot structure, featuring an expansive ballroom, on the former East Wing site.
