Storied but sickly, historic W.House magnolia to come down

Arborists have struggled for years to keep alive the sickly southern magnolia, whose striking figure marks a focal point along the building's southern facade. According to tradition, the tree was planted by former president Andrew Jackson to commemorate his wife who died just before his swearing-in in 1829. It was purportedly a sapling brought from his home in Tennessee. The tree is the oldest on the White House grounds, according to the National Park Service, which notes that starting in the 1870s...