Obama to Build Himself Second Oval Office

President Barack Obama is soon to have not one but two Oval Offices.

As part of a two-year, $376 million West Wing renovation, builders will create a nearly identical replica of the Oval Office at the south end of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the president to work from, reports Real Clear Politics. The West Wing makeover, which originally began in September 2010, was put on hold during the presidential election.

Obama was roundly panned by interior designers and fashionistas in 2010 when he decided to redecorate the Oval Office in a drab beige and gold design, complete with a donated wheat-colored presidential rug featuring a quote woven into it erroneously attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that actually belonged to Theodore Parker. 

Real Clear Politics reports that the current redesign project includes security features.

The West Wing renovation is the latest phase of a significant project that resulted last year in the completion of a secret bunker-like facility deep underneath the White House driveway. The work also included construction under West Executive Drive, the private lane between the two buildings in the White House complex. The drive is ostensibly used as a VIP entrance for vehicles and as a parking lot.

The renovation, which could take up to two years, will also mean a move to the Eisenhower building for the president’s senior advisers.