The White House has proposed a 33,000-square-foot underground visitor screening center beneath Sherman Park to streamline security processing and reduce wait times. The subterranean facility would feature seven lanes and could begin construction as early as August, with a target opening of July 2028. The Sherman monument would remain in place, and the project is being developed by the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Secret Service and the National Park Service. The National Capital Planning Commission will review the plan at its April meeting alongside a separate proposal for a 90,000-square-foot replacement building where the East Wing once stood.
White House Proposes 33,000-Sq-Ft Underground Visitor Screening Center Under Sherman Park
FILE - The White House is seen Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The White House has unveiled plans to construct a 33,000-square-foot (3,066-square-meter) underground visitor screening center beneath Sherman Park as part of a broader redesign of the presidential grounds.
Renderings and project details were included in the preliminary agenda published Friday for the April meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, the federal body that reviews construction on federal land in Washington.
Location and Background
Sherman Park sits southeast of the White House and directly south of the Treasury building. For years the park was the staging area where tourists and guests queued for security checks before moving through a line of temporary, trailer-style screening structures to the East Wing entrance. The East Wing was demolished last fall to make way for a proposed replacement building that would include a large ballroom; visitors currently queue near Lafayette Park across Pennsylvania Avenue.
Facility Design and Timeline
The proposed subterranean complex would include seven screening lanes designed to speed processing and reduce wait times. According to the plans, construction could begin as early as August, and the White House aims to have the facility operational by July 2028 — roughly six months before the scheduled end of the current presidential term.
Historic Monument and Agencies Involved
The statue of Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman at the center of Sherman Park would remain in place and would not be removed as part of the project. The proposal is presented as a collaboration among the Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Secret Service and the National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds.
Next Steps
The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss the proposal at its April 2 meeting. That agenda also includes debate and a final vote on the administration’s separate plan to build a roughly 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) replacement building — including a large ballroom — on the site of the former East Wing.
Officials say the screening center aims to improve visitor flow and security while preserving the park’s historic elements. Critics and preservation advocates may raise concerns during the public review process.
Help us improve.
