“The site is under construction” is a sign that might greet visitors peering through the fence on the southeast corner of the White House, trying to catch a glimpse of where it is East wing once stood.
Instead, these are the words greeting visitors on the websites of several companies working on the construction of the White House Ballroom.
Some of these companies appear to be trying to lower their profile (in some cases literally on social media) as there are sometimes strong reactions online to the demolition of the East Wing and construction of the 90,000 square meter building. privately financed ballroom. None of the companies have been accused of legal misconduct.
EAI Rolloff, a Maryland-based trucking company, has advised visitors to its homepage that the site is “under routine maintenance.” There are no links or contact information listed.
It is not clear when or why the website was taken offline, but an archived version from earlier this year offers customers the opportunity to learn about the company's services, contact the company or learn about its history.
“We are honest, ethical, responsive, professional and conscientious,” says the company’s archived “Core Values” page.
Late last week, a red and charcoal gray truck with the EAI logo and phone number delivered discarded rebar from the White House to a scrapyard just outside Washington. The company did not respond to emails or a phone call seeking comment.
Photographers captured heavy equipment leveling the East Wing and the corridor connecting it to the White House residence last week. ACECO, a demolition company based in Maryland, was emblazoned on an excavator arm in black, white and red.
ACECO's website is also unavailable. “This page is under construction,” it says in bold block letters. According to the Internet Archive, as recently as August, ACECO's website showcased the company's work at the University of Maryland and announced its clients, which included Clark Construction, the contractor hired to build the White House Ballroom.
Social media profiles of the company and its leadership are no longer active. WTOP reported that review site Yelp has “temporarily disabled publication of content on the site for ACECO” due to hostility directed toward the company.
A Yelp poster read: “How do you sleep at night when all of America hates you?”
ACECO representatives, 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. According to an archived version of the page maintained by the Internet Archive, as recently as April, McCrery's website was robust and featured the company's previous design projects, its approach to architecture and employee biographies.
Now McCrery's website is limited to a single page with a rotating photo, a general email address and a phone number. Included in the photo carousel are depictions of the White House Ballroom.
When CBS News called the number listed on the company's website, the phone rang several times before a recorded message said the voicemail was full. A McCrery spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
Not all companies shy away from the attention that comes with their connection to the ballroom.
The websites of Clark Construction and AECOM, the leading engineering firm, appear to be intact. Both are large companies – Clark has a nationwide presence and AECOM is a $17 billion multinational that is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
The smaller companies that have shut down their websites are headquartered in the Washington, DC area.
Carrier, another publicly traded multibillion-dollar company, wasn't afraid to get involved in the ballroom. A company spokesperson announced that Carrier was “honored to equip the new iconic White House Ballroom with a world-class, energy-efficient HVAC system.”