The Year ‘Magatecture’ consumed the White House

All the changes to the White House over the past year read like a reality TV drama. Clashes with architects. A lawsuit over the East Wing demolition. Paving over the beloved Rose Garden and turning it into an exclusive club. President Trump’s promise (or was it a threat?) to make federal buildings beautiful again primarily played out at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Now it has become the prime exemplar of “Magatecture,” whose aesthetic expression revolves around three key traits: Make it big, make it gold, and make it monetizable.