WASHINGTON — Contractors have begun taking apart sections of a new granite helipad under construction on the White House South Lawn after President Donald Trump directed changes to its appearance and alignment, according to photographs and reporting based on people familiar with the project.
Images showed workers dismantling portions of the circular landing area, including work associated with a roughly 100-foot-wide presidential seal. Trump was reportedly dissatisfied with how the pad looked and questioned whether the sloping lawn would need to be changed so the finished surface appeared level with the horizon.
The White House has said a permanent landing area is needed because exhaust from the newer VH-92A Patriot helicopters can scorch or tear up the lawn. Presidents have traditionally boarded Marine One on the grass, and earlier administrations considered but did not build a permanent pad.
Trump said in July that the project would use carved granite, cost as much as $6 million and be privately funded by Sikorsky. The aircraft maker completed delivery of 23 new presidential helicopters in 2024. The publicly available reports did not establish the final cost of the redesign or how much completed work would be discarded.
The project had been scheduled for completion by September. Any further changes to the lawn or construction timeline would depend on the revised engineering and design plan.
Sources: MSN, The Washington Post and The Associated Press. Update published Aug. 4, 2026.
