Key facts
- The GSA awarded a $250,000 contract for renovations to the White House bowling alley.
- The bowling alley is located in the basement of the EEOB.
- A previous renovation proposal in 2014 was canceled due to public and political backlash.
- Charles Mann Enterprises, a construction firm founded by former NFL player Charles Mann, received the contract.
- The alley was originally built in 1947 for President Harry Truman and moved in 1955.
The General Services Administration (GSA) has awarded a $250,000 contract for renovations to the White House bowling alley, a project that previously faced significant public and political opposition. The alley, located in the basement of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), is reserved for White House aides and their guests.
In 2014, under former President Barack Obama, the GSA proposed a more extensive rebuild of the bowling alley's lanes, which were described as "irreparable." However, the project was quickly canceled after Time Magazine reported on it, sparking backlash from Republicans who questioned the use of taxpayer funds. Then-Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus criticized the project, and the Republican-controlled House adopted an amendment to prohibit such funding.
Separately, on August 18, the GSA awarded Charles Mann Enterprises a $878,000 contract for an "EEOB basement studio project." Charles Mann Enterprises is a construction management firm founded by Charles Mann, a former NFL player. The award listing for this project did not provide further details.
The White House bowling alley was originally built in 1947 in the West Wing to celebrate former President Harry Truman's birthday, funded by Missourians. It was relocated to the EEOB in 1955 by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and renovated in 1994 by former President Bill Clinton. During the first Trump administration, First Lady Melania Trump oversaw the restoration of the original wooden lane, and the alley itself underwent a renovation with updated electrical wiring and mechanics, paid for by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.