The architectural soul of the White House has become the latest battleground in Washington as Rodney Mims Cook Jr., the newly appointed head of the Commission of Fine Arts, proposed replacing the North Portico's Ionic columns with grander Corinthian pillars.
The suggestion, aimed at 'aligning' the executive mansion with the ornate styles of the Capitol and Supreme Court, has met fierce resistance from historians who warn the move would transform the 'People's House' into an imperial palace.
