“The site is under construction” is a sign that could greet visitors peering through the fence at the southeast corner of the White House, trying to catch a glimpse of where the East Wing once stood.
Instead, those are the words greeting visitors to the websites of several companies working on building the White House ballroom.
Some of these firms appear to be trying to lower their profiles (in some cases, literally, on social media) amid the sometimes vitriolic online reaction to the East Wing demolition and construction of the 90,000 square-foot, privately-financed ballroom. None of the firms have been accused of any legal wrongdoing.
EAI Rolloff, a Maryland-based hauling company, has advised visitors to its homepage that the site is “Undergoing Routine Maintenance.” There are no links or contact information listed.
It’s not clear when the site was taken offline or why, but an archived version from earlier this year gives customers options to learn about the company’s services, contact the firm or read about its history.
“We are honest, ethical, responsive, professional and diligent,” the company’s archived “core values” page said.
Late last week, a red and charcoal gray truck bearing the EAI logo and phone number delivered discarded rebar from the White House to a scrap yard just outside Washington. The company did not respond to emails and a phone call seeking comment.
Photographers last week captured heavy equipment leveling the East Wing and corridor connecting it to the White House residence. Emblazoned in black, white and red on an excavator arm was ACECO, a Maryland-based demolition company.
ACECO’s website is also unavailable. “This Site Is Under Construction,” it says in bold block lettering. As recently as August, according to the Internet Archive, ACECO’s site showed off the firm’s work at the University of Maryland and heralded its clients, which included Clark Construction, the construction contractor hired to build the White House ballroom.
Social media profiles for the company and its leadership are no longer active. WTOP reported that ratings website Yelp “temporarily disabled the posting of content to the page for ACECO” because of hostility directed at the company.
One Yelp poster wrote, “How do you sleep at night when all of America hates you?”
Representatives for ACECO — perhaps unsurprisingly — did not respond to a request for comment.
When President Trump announced the project this summer, he named McCrery Architects as the lead design firm. As recently as April, McCrery’s site was robust, displaying the firm’s prior design projects, its approach to architecture and staff biographies, according to an archived version of the page maintained by the Internet Archive.
Now, McCrery’s website is limited to a single page with a rotating photo, generic email address and phone number. Renderings of the White House ballroom are included in the photo carousel.
When CBS News called the number listed on the firm’s website, the phone rang several times before a recorded message said the voicemail was full. A McCrery spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Not all companies have shunned attention brought on by their association with the ballroom.
Websites for Clark Construction and AECOM, the lead engineering firm, appear to be intact. Both are large companies — Clark has a national footprint and AECOM is a multinational company valued at $17 billion and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
The smaller businesses that have pulled down their websites are headquartered in the Washington, D.C., area.
Carrier, another multibillion-dollar, publicly traded company, was not shy about its involvement in the ballroom. A company spokesperson proclaimed that Carrier was “honored to provide the new iconic ballroom at the White House with a world-class, energy-efficient HVAC system.”
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